almonds Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Easy Texas Sheet Cake

June 6, 2016 By Becky 20 Comments

When you need grain-free, dairy-free cake for a crowd, this easy Texas sheet cake is here for you! It’s simple to make (no mixed needed!) and impossibly delicious. This post is sponsored by Dream in partnership with Honest Cooking.

This easy Texas sheet cake is perfect for times when you need a cake that serves a lot of people, but is simple and straightforward to make. It’s ideal for feeding folks with dietary restrictions since it’s paleo-friendly and free of gluten, grains, and dairy. And it’s also just the thing for when you suddenly need chocolate cake on a random afternoon and don’t want to wait too long to get your fix. With a chocolate sheet cake, you don’t have to worry about un-molding, stacking, or leveling multiple layers of cake. And since sheet cakes are thin, they cool quickly so you don’t have to wait long to frost them. You can make this whole thing, start to finish, in less than an hour. It’s also just really fun to look at such a vast expanse of cake!

This cake also has the best texture of any paleo-friendly chocolate cake I’ve ever made–it really tastes just like a regular cake! But, like a really good, homemade regular cake–not a store-bought one, of course. I looked to classic, gluten-laden Texas sheet cake recipes for guidance in developing this recipe, and discovered that they are usually made with buttermilk. Buttermilk works together with baking soda to help cakes rise, and also helps create a tender crumb. For this recipe, I made a super simple dairy-free buttermilk replacement using Dream Ultimate Almond Unsweetened Almond Beverage and a little bit of apple cider vinegar.

Vanilla Chai Nut Butter (Guest Post on Cook It Up Paleo)

January 21, 2016 By Becky 2 Comments

Roasted almonds and cashews with vanilla and chai spices make for an irresistible nut butter that’s vegan, paleo, and Whole30 compliant. You won’t miss the sugar that most flavored nut butters have!

This vanilla chai nut butter is my new favorite snack. It’s creamy, naturally sweet without any added sweeteners, and perfumed with the irresistible combination of vanilla and cardamom. It’s basically the vegan, Whole30-compliant, no sugar added, not-a-cookie version of my grain-free spiced shortbread. (Okay, maybe they’re not that similar after all! They do have the same enticing aroma and toasty vanilla and spice flavors, though.)

It’s amazing on dates, apple slices, carrot sticks, and spoons. Life is good and possibilities are endless when you have a jar of this stuff in the fridge!

I’m sharing the recipe for this vanilla chai nut butter over on Cook It Up Paleo this week. Heather of Cook It Up Paleo is an eighteen-year-old who develops all kinds of scrumptious and inventive recipes that make my teenage self look like such a slacker in retrospect. If you haven’t already visited her site, go right now! There is a chicken broccoli alfredo pizza on there that will be haunting my dreams until I make it the second my Whole30 is over…

Get the vanilla chai nut butter recipe right here!

Mexican Almond Pulp Brownies

February 20, 2015 By Becky 12 Comments

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

Mexican Almond Pulp Brownies | acalculatedwhisk.com

These grain-free, paleo-friendly Mexican almond pulp brownies are a delicious way to use up almond pulp and satisfy chocolate cravings at the same time.

Have you tried making your own almond milk? It’s really good, and nothing like the store-bought kind. I like to put it in my coffee, add it to smoothies, or just drink it plain, alongside a delicious paleo baked good. (If you’re not a fan of almonds, you can follow the same steps to make milk using pecans instead! If I had to choose my favorite between almond milk and pecan milk, I would have a hard time).

So, if you have made your own nut milk, then you know about the pulp problem. After squeezing the last vestiges of creamy milk out of the cheesecloth or nut milk bag, you’re left with a bunch of pulp.

It’s sad to just throw it away. Especially when you could use it to make brownies instead!

These Mexican almond pulp brownies are adapted from a brilliant recipe by Alanna of The Bojon Gourmet. (Alanna takes some of the most gorgeous food photos out there, so if you haven’t visited her site, be prepared to want to make every single thing.) My version gets its unique flavor from a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper. The result is like a Mexican hot chocolate in brownie form.

Chocolate-Covered Almonds

March 22, 2014 By Becky 2 Comments

Chocolate-covered almonds are my new favorite snack. With a little sea salt added to the mix, they are just phenomenal. Lately I’ve been seeing and buying them everywhere: Starbucks, Tedeschi, and Whole Foods each carry their own versions, all of which are irresistible to hungry grad students. I decided it was time to make my own.

These almonds are roasted, dipped in salted dark chocolate, and tossed with a bit of Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I can’t stop eating them. Although the chocolate coating is not as thick as the almonds I get at the store, which must be triple-dipped, this version still does a great job of satisfying my chocolate cravings. I actually prefer the chocolate-to-almond ratio of this recipe, which allows the nutty flavor of the roasted almonds to come through. If you don’t like your almonds roasted, you can also make this with raw almonds.

While I loved the way these almonds tasted, I wasn’t thrilled with how they looked. It turns out it’s really hard (at least for me) to get nice, smooth chocolate on something that has to be covered on all sides. Since I like everything I post here to be easy on the eyes as well as delicious, I was contemplating not posting this recipe at all; however, when I asked some of my friends on Facebook what they thought, everyone said I should go for it. So, here it is: a four-ingredient recipe for the most addictive snack on earth. I hope you like it!

Moroccan Beef with Apricots & Dates + Simple Cauliflower Mash (Whole30 Day 22)

January 22, 2014 By Becky 9 Comments

It’s Day 22 of my Whole30! I can’t believe it’s been over three weeks. This month really is flying by. I have more energy, more even moods, and while I still get hungry, I no longer want to kill all the things when my stomach starts rumbling. Also, my pants are looser and I’m recovering more quickly from my workouts, with much less soreness.

Yesterday, a big snowstorm came to town. After traipsing home from the train station in the snow, I made this Moroccan beef. It’s almost a stew, but I wanted the sauce to be nice and thick so that the beef wasn’t swimming in liquid. The meat is perfectly spiced, and the sweet fruit provides a wonderful counterpoint. The garnishes–toasted almonds and fresh cilantro–are highly recommended. I served this beef over a simple cauliflower mash, but it would also be great with spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or even real rice–anything that will soak up the delicious sauce. No matter how you serve it, this dish will comfort and warm you on a cold winter’s night.

Orange Ginger Squash Soup

January 1, 2014 By Becky 6 Comments

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

Orange Ginger Squash Soup (Paleo, Gluten free, Whole30)

This orange ginger squash soup is easy to make, super comforting, and Whole30-compliant. A sprinkling of pomegranate seeds on top makes it worthy of a festive occasion, too!

It’s Whole30 time! In addition to eating right all month, I’ve committed to posting everyday as part of Blogher’s January NaBloPoMo. The theme is pressure, which seems fitting–I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to eat clean food and blog about it every single day for a month! I probably won’t be able to share 31 new recipes, but instead will sometimes blog about how I’m feeling and what resources I’m using. I’ll be sharing lots of simple recipes, which will hopefully inspire you to get in the kitchen and whip up something healthy even if you aren’t committing to a whole Whole30.