A Calculated Whisk

Carnitas con huevo

April 24, 2017 By Becky 40 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Try carnitas con huevo–crispy slow-cooked pork with fried eggs–for a hearty and irresistible paleo breakfast. There’s avocado crema involved, too!

I’m sorry for the silence here last week! I hadn’t planned on taking a week off from sharing recipes, but suddenly Easter and several deadlines for freelance work and a few other things snuck up on me. I’m back, though, with one of my favorite breakfasts of all time: carnitas con huevo (slow-cooked, crispy pork with an egg on top) with avocado crema.

If you’ve by any chance been reading since I started this site in 2013, you may recognize this recipe as one I posted back then during my first attempt at a Whole30. It was long overdue for a reshoot, though. Just for fun, I’ve included one of the original photos below right before the recipe card. I’m constantly working on improving my food photography and styling, but looking back on photos from a few years ago makes me feel really good about how far I’ve come already.

Gluten-Free Strawberry Buckle

April 12, 2017 By Becky 46 Comments

This gluten-free strawberry buckle is easy to whip up and a great way to showcase spring berries for Easter or any occasion. Thanks to for sponsoring this post!

Crisp, crumble, cobbler, buckle, brown betty, pandowdy, grunt, and slump…it’s easy to get mixed up with all the delicious fruit-based desserts out there! I did a bit of research, and discovered that a buckle is a cake made with berries in which the batter buckles up around the fruit, making the surface bumpy.

While sometimes buckles call for the fruit to be mixed into the batter, this one is made with the strawberry slices on top for a more elegant presentation. Leave the slices of each strawberry grouped together when you cut them so you can fan them out on top of the batter.

This buckle is another super easy recipe made with Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. (In case you missed it, last month I shared easy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes made with this flour blend that are also perfect for Easter!)

This gluten-free flour blend is my go-to for converting recipes that are not gluten free. Every time I’ve tried using this in place of all-purpose flour, it has worked perfectly! The taste and texture are spot on, so no one will miss a thing.

Grain-free Crepes with Apricot Preserves

April 10, 2017 By Becky 26 Comments

Grain-free Crepes with Apricot Preserves | acalculatedwhisk.com

These grain-free crepes with apricot preserves are the perfect easy but special breakfast for Mother’s Day or any occasion. This post is sponsored by Bonne Maman.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a breakfast recipe, but I’m making up for it today by sharing these super simple grain-free crepes filled with Bonne Maman apricot preserves. The batter is easy to whip up by hand in just one bowl, and the apricot preserves provide the ideal balance of sweet and tart flavors for the filling. I like to serve these with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, a dollop of whipped cream, and fresh berries, but the crepes and preserves are also great on their own! This is a great recipe to make for a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed or any other special occasion.

Grain-free Crepes with Apricot Preserves | acalculatedwhisk.com

Bonne Maman preserves are my go-to for filling these crepes and any other time I need fruit preserves–they’re great for adding a hint of sweetness to savory recipes, too! All of Bonne Maman’s products are made with wholesome pantry ingredients and homestyle recipes that have stood the test of time. Their apricot preserves pack even more of a flavor punch than fresh apricots, thanks in part to the brown sugar and lemon juice that are added to the recipe. They’re also gluten free and Non-GMO Project verified. And right now, you can enter Bonne Maman’s sweepstakes to win a 12-piece Le Creuset cookware set, free preserves, and more!

Paleo Pork Scaloppine with Caper Butter Sauce

April 3, 2017 By Becky 49 Comments

This paleo pork scaloppine with caper butter sauce is like chicken piccata, but better. It comes together in half an hour so you can enjoy it on busy weeknights!

Monday has reared its ugly head once again. If you’ve got a case of the blues, I have just the thing for you: paleo pork scaloppine. In a mere half an hour, you’ll get to work out your aggression pounding pork chops thin, hear the satisfying sizzle of the meat hitting the pan, pour an irresistible caper butter sauce over a platter of golden brown cutlets, and then dig in. I know I couldn’t ask for a better form of Monday therapy!

To make the breading for this paleo version of pork scaloppine as close as possible to the real thing, we’re using Otto’s Cassava Flour (that’s an affiliate link–I love their product and accept no substitutes!). It’s the best one-to-one replacement for wheat flour that I’ve found, and while I used to have to order it online, this past weekend I spotted it at the Chattanooga Whole Foods! To celebrate, I whipped up a big batch of this paleo pork scaloppine.

Vietnamese Beef Lettuce Wraps

March 27, 2017 By Becky 10 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

These quick Vietnamese beef lettuce wraps are my new go-to light dinner for spring. They’re gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly, and easy to put together.

I am a huge fan of Vietnamese food. When Ben and I lived in Boston, our neighborhood had a lot of Vietnamese families and businesses. There was a great little supermarket within walking distance where I could pick up everything from fish sauce to rice paper wraps to long stalks of fresh lemongrass. One of our favorite restaurants, Pho Hoa, was just blocks away. I usually ordered the house special vermicelli plate. It had pretty much everything: grilled pork, shrimp on sugarcane, meatballs, grilled scallions, pickled carrots, chopped peanuts, and even a sliced spring roll all on top of vermicelli. It also came with rice paper wraps and a bowl of hot water so you could make your own fresh rolls.

These fast and easy Vietnamese lettuce wraps are loosely based on the flavors of that dish. Instead of vermicelli and rice paper wraps, we’re using fresh leaves of lettuce with a little jasmine rice inside to soak up the saucy beef. You could definitely use rice noodles or cauliflower rice instead if you prefer! The beef is quickly cooked with a little garlic and a sauce that combines tamari (or coconut aminos), fish sauce, honey, and sambal oelek. The result is an umami-packed flavor with just the right balance of sweet, salt, spice, and funk.

Paleo Potato Hummus with Crudités

March 20, 2017 By Becky 42 Comments

This paleo potato hummus is smooth, flavorful, and ideal for spring get-togethers. No one will guess it’s made with potatoes! This post is sponsored by Potatoes USA.

If you’re looking for a paleo alternative to traditional hummus, I have a treat for you today! This legume-free hummus comes together in just half an hour and is made with Yukon Gold potatoes. The flavor and texture are so similar to regular hummus, though, that no one will be the wiser. Alongside a platter of vibrant crudités, this super-smooth hummus is sure to be a hit at your next party.

I made this paleo potato hummus for a family gathering a couple of weeks ago and told everyone that it was hummus with a bit of a twist. It was quickly devoured, and no one guessed that potatoes were involved. As someone who doesn’t feel well after eating legumes like chickpeas, I’m thrilled to have discovered this crowd-pleasing, bean-free version of hummus. With olive oil drizzled on top and a sprinkle of paprika, it’s the perfect counterpart to a spread of spring’s freshest veggies.

Easy Gluten-free Vanilla Cupcakes

March 15, 2017 By Becky 65 Comments

When you need a simple but scrumptious spring dessert, look no further than these easy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes! Thank you to my friends at Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post. Their gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour makes this recipe a snap!

It’s snowed twice in Chattanooga in the past three days, but I’m channeling spring with the blush tones of these easy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. Now that we’ve sprung forward, the warm weather can’t be far behind, right?

Whether or not you’re buried under piles of snow this week, now is a great time to whip up a batch of these babies. They’re easy as can be and made with pantry staples, and are going to be on repeat around here for Easter, Mother’s Day, my birthday (hint HINT), and any old day that needs a sweet ending.

I use Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour from Bob’s Red Mill for these cupcakes. Bob’s Red Mill’s flours have always been my go-to. I usually bake with a mix of their super finely ground almond flour and tapioca flour, but this flour blend has won me over recently because it’s so convenient. You only need to measure one kind of flour, and it works as a cup-for-cup replacement for wheat flour in all sorts of recipes.

Bob’s has also recently come out with a paleo flour blend that I can’t wait to try in this recipe. And if you don’t follow a gluten-free diet, you can just use their regular flour here!

For these easy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes, I took an old family recipe for “little one-egg cakes” and made just a couple of substitutions: Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour instead of regular flour and butter instead of shortening. Boom! Easy and delicious vanilla cupcakes. No one will know that these are gluten free!

Grain-free Lemon Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

March 13, 2017 By Becky 39 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This grain-free lemon cake with whipped cream frosting is made for Easter dinner, spring birthdays, or any other special occasion. It’s super lemony thanks to lemon zest, juice, curd, and extract!

It’s the roughest Monday of the year, but I brought cake to ease the pain! If springing forward has taken some of the pep out of your step, this grain-free lemon cake will put it right back in.

When my future sister-in-law asked for a lemon cake to celebrate her birthday, I was excited. A few months ago for a styled wedding shoot, my friend Lindsey and I made a lemon layer cake with blood orange curd and blood oranges on top. I’d been wanting to try something similar with a lemon curd filling, and this was the perfect opportunity. For this cake, I adapted my lemon olive oil Bundt cake recipe to create two round layers. (Before you can even ask, no, you can’t taste the olive oil! It’s just a super healthy, easy to work with fat for baking that creates a wonderfully tender crumb.)

I used homemade lemon curd for the filling, and then frosted and decorated the cake with stabilized whipped cream. The result is a festive, richly lemon-flavored cake with tart curd and pillowy clouds of cream. It’s so good, and was a huge hit with my entire family, including my three young future nieces. I can’t wait to make it again next month for Easter!

Matcha White Chocolate Latte

March 4, 2017 By Becky 55 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This matcha white chocolate latte is the ideal drink for the cool days of early spring. It’s made without dairy and naturally sweetened with honey to taste!

Sometimes I look back at my prior food habits and just have to shake my head. While I’m far from perfect now, the majority of what I eat is homemade with real-food ingredients. That definitely wasn’t the case for much of my life! In high school, an early lunch meant I came home starving at three in the afternoon. My solution? I would make and eat an entire box of Annie’s Bunny Shape Pasta with Yummy Cheese and wash it down with chocolate milk. Oh, and my breakfast of choice from the cafeteria, snagged on my way to 7:30 am chorus practice? A double chocolate muffin, coffee, and chocolate milk. Lunch was often chicken nuggets and french fries, plus a Creamsicle from the vending machine.

College wasn’t much better. I worked at the all-you-can-eat dining hall my freshman year, and if I didn’t like the entrée options, I would take advantage of the proximity of the waffle station to the ice cream station and make myself a waffle sundae (yup, for dinner!). And when studying at the campus center, my go-to snack was a white chocolate mocha plus a bag of spicy potato chips. Post-college, as a first-year teacher, I succumbed to the Whataburger across from my apartment or the taco truck on my way home more nights than I care to remember.

I thought back on those white chocolate mochas as I whipped up this simple matcha white chocolate latte for myself the other day, and felt pretty proud. Gone are the days of dairy-laden lattes with suspiciously sweet syrups from the campus center, and late-night dorm-room Easy Mac. And believe me, this matcha white chocolate latte is so much better than any of that!

Strawberry Panna Cotta with Balsamic Vinegar

February 28, 2017 By Becky 8 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This strawberry panna cotta with balsamic vinegar is an easy but gourmet spring dessert. With dairy-free and paleo-friendly options, more people can enjoy it!

Are you thrown off by the idea of vinegar in a dessert? Don’t go away yet–let me explain. First of all, you won’t actually taste the balsamic vinegar in this strawberry panna cotta unless you decide to drizzle extra on top to serve. Second, balsamic pairs really well with strawberries, enhancing their flavor and sweetness without asserting its own taste in any noticeable way.

Years ago when I was living in Houston, I threw one of my first dinner parties. I think everything I made that night was from the first cookbook I ever bought myself, Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. A friend of a friend brought vanilla ice cream for dessert, along with a bottle of chocolate balsamic vinegar. He explained that he’d been to a vinegar tasting, and had learned about how balsamic can enhance desserts. Although skeptical, I drizzled a bit of the heady syrup onto my ice cream, and was totally blown away. The tang of the vinegar made all the other flavors in the dessert pop in the best possible way. I was sold.

Paleo Swedish Meatballs

February 27, 2017 By Becky 47 Comments

These paleo Swedish meatballs are just as satisfying as the original but without any gluten or lactose. They’re perfect with zoodles, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes.

I’m very excited about today’s post because not only am I sharing one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook Paleo Planet, but I’m also teaming up with my friends at ButcherBox to get you some amazing grass-fed meat for free! If you sign up for your first box between now and this Friday, you can get two pounds of grass-fed ground beef for free plus $10 off your box.

If you’ve been reading my site for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention ButcherBox before–you can see all my posts featuring their meat right here. ButcherBox is a meat subscription service that sends boxes of the absolute best grass-fed beef, heritage pork, and organic chicken right to your door, conveniently frozen in individual portions for easy defrosting. I have loved every single recipe I’ve made with their meat!

It’s perfect if you have a hard time finding quality meat in your neighborhood supermarket or just don’t want to have to shop often. They also send you recipe cards with information about each cut and an idea of what to make with it. Each month’s box includes a variety of cuts, but always includes some of their grass-fed ground beef, which is a staple at my house. If I’ve convinced you that you need ButcherBox in your life, here’s the sign-up page.

In case you’re just here for the paleo Swedish meatballs, let’s talk about those! They’re great for comfort-food dinners as we make it through the last few weeks of winter. A blend of beef and pork makes the meatballs super tender, and a dash of nutmeg and allspice give them that distinctive Swedish meatball flavor.

The sauce is creamy thanks to cashews and a bit sweet thanks to no-sugar-added black currant jam. Instead of the traditional egg noodles, try these paleo Swedish meatballs over zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes.

Cafe Brulot

February 20, 2017 By Becky 6 Comments

This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market.

Café brûlot is a fun and dramatic cocktail that will light up your Mardi Gras celebration.

Looking for an entertaining way to celebrate Mardi Gras at home? Look no further than this café brûlot cocktail. To make this iconic New Orleans drink, brandy and Grand Marnier are infused with citrus peel and whole spices, and then set on fire with a long match. To finish the drink and act as a fire extinguisher, hot chicory coffee is poured in. And although it’s not included in the traditional recipe, I like my café brûlot with a pillowy topping of gently whipped cream. It’s hard to decide whether the pyrotechnics or enjoying the drink itself are the best part of this drink!

See more photographs and step-by-step recipe instructions on Discover, a blog by World Market!

This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market. Thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that keep A Calculated Whisk running!

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