avocado Archives - Page 2 of 3 - A Calculated Whisk

Matcha Avocado Ice Cream

April 20, 2015 By Becky 12 Comments

This matcha avocado ice cream is delicious, easy to make and full of healthy fat. It’s gluten free with a dairy free option!

I’m working with high school students this semester, and on Mondays we have great chats about our weekends. I always feel like a boring, lame adult because every time they’re like, “What did you do this weekend?” I’m like, “Oh, I did a lot of cooking, and only a little bit of cleaning.” Welcome to my life.

I was excited last Monday because I felt like it sounded a lot cooler to say I made ice cream. Cooler both literally and figuratively, I suppose.

Of course, they wanted to know what flavor, and I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces when they found out I put avocado in my ice cream. They didn’t know what matcha was, and that part kind of flew under the radar–everyone was really stuck on the avocado.

You know what, though? It’s not weird at all. I knew I wanted to make a matcha ice cream (because matcha in all the things feels like spring to me), and I decided to throw in an avocado because green tea and avocado are spring-green-colored soul sisters. The finished product doesn’t taste like avocado, but has an added richness and health boost thanks to that sneaky addition.

Burmese Chile Prawns with Cucumber and Avocado Salad

March 23, 2015 By Becky 24 Comments

Burmese Chile Prawns with Cucumber & Avocado Salad--Easy, 30-minute paleo meal | acalculatedwhisk.com

Are you fast in the kitchen? I’m super slow. No matter how much I wish I could be an ingredient ninja, I just can’t seem to get things located and prepped very quickly. I took a knife skills class a few months ago, which helped a little, but I think the issue stems more from disorganization than a lack of dexterity.

I’m working on making more 30-minute paleo dinners to share here on A Calculated Whisk. To make sure I’m representing things accurately, I time myself as I cook, which really highlights my lack of culinary efficiency. For this recipe, I started timing, assembled most of the ingredients for the marinade, and then realized I couldn’t find a sharp knife to cut the lime in half. I paused the timer while I located a chef’s knife and washed it, because I thought you, my wonderful readers, were likely to already have a clean knife on hand. Several other misplaced items and dirty dishes slowed me down and I didn’t stop the timer every time, but I still managed to make this meal in JUST over 30 minutes (if you’re making rice, you may need an extra 3-5 minutes to get that measured and set up).

So, even if you’re less than speedy in the kitchen, like me, you can have this dinner on your plate in just about half an hour.

Today’s recipe comes from Sue at Couscous and Consciousness. I was assigned her blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal, and had so much fun browsing through her delicious recipes. (I was also excited to read that Sue is a yoga teacher. I love yoga and have been trying to do at least a few sun salutations every morning. I wish I could take a class with Sue, but she lives in New Zealand, so it would be quite a commute.)

Sue’s food is colorful, creative, and usually on the lighter side, so there were a lot of tempting options to choose from. She also has many internationally inspired dishes, which makes browsing her site really fun. For this month’s reveal, top contenders included bengali aloo with lemon turmeric aioli, roasted apricot gelato, and plum and cardamon cake. Even though I’m not much of a salad person at all, I also found myself wanting to try this salmon with green tea soba noodle, broad bean, and radish salad and this watermelon and feta salad with preserved lemon dressing.

Orange Peach Raspberry Smoothie

March 9, 2015 By Becky 4 Comments

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

Orange Peach Raspberry Smoothie (Paleo, Vegan)

This orange peach raspberry smoothie is bright, easy, tasty, and full of antioxidants. Avocado and a bit of turmeric give this smoothie great depth of flavor.

When I’m sick, I crave smoothies. Just thinking about blending together a bunch of vitamin-packed produce makes me feel a tad better, and my outlook only improves once I’m actually drinking it. Smoothies, especially ones that look like sunshine in a glass, also help me momentarily forget about winter. For me, they’re are an important aspect of self-care.

I wanted this smoothie to have plenty of Vitamin C, so I used oranges, peaches, and raspberries. Also, like I almost always do, I added an avocado. It makes the smoothie really creamy, but you won’t taste it. The healthy fat from the avocado also makes this nice and filling.

To make the smoothie pack even more of a punch, I added some turmeric and fresh ginger. In addition to providing more potential health benefits, these rhizomes add depth of flavor, and the turmeric deepens the golden color.

The cara cara oranges I used also contributed to the hue of this drink. I bet using blood oranges would make the color pop even more!

Why Avocado Belongs in Your Smoothies

June 14, 2014 By Becky 4 Comments

photos via Instagram

I have a new morning routine. It begins at 5:30, and goes like this. First, I stumble to the sink, get a glass of water, and drink it on the couch, usually while staring blankly at my Instagram feed. After a minute, I’ve built up the energy necessary to take steps to obtain coffee, which then fuels the rest of my activities. If there is coffee in the machine from the day before, I drop in three ice cubes and congratulate myself on making iced coffee. If the machine is empty, I grumble a lot, make a new pot, and settle for hot coffee.

When the coffee hits, it’s time to make a smoothie. The smoothie is the highlight of my morning, and it’s all because of the humble avocado.

A friend gave me an incredulous look recently when I mentioned putting avocado in my smoothies. I only started adding them in April, but they’ve already become such a smoothie essential for me that I was totally flabbergasted by her response. I am writing this blog post on the off chance that you, like my friend, have not tried putting avocado in your smoothies yet.

Here are five quick reasons you should do it:

Bacon, Arugula, and Avocado Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

May 22, 2014 By Becky 2 Comments

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

This quick and easy bacon, arugula, and avocado salad is packed with flavor and tossed with a sherry vinaigrette that’s amazing on almost anything.

My last post was about inspiration, and this one is about exhaustion. Not the discouraging kind of exhaustion that makes you feel like there’s no end in sight, but the kind of exhaustion that leaves you cheerfully spent at the end of the day–content, but without much left to offer.

I started my first external placement for graduate school last week, and I’m in schools working with kids and teachers four days a week for ten hours a day. (In case you haven’t heard me mention it, I’m working on a master’s in speech and language pathology with dual certification as a reading specialist). I am learning and doing so much that I do not know where to put all my thoughts and ideas. I have plenty of notebooks and folders, but there’s not enough space and time to capture everything I want to hold onto. Do you ever feel that way? Please tell me about your own exhaustion in the comments so I can feel a little less alone!

Slow-Cooker Carnitas Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple & Avocado Salsa

April 3, 2014 By Becky 9 Comments

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

Crisp and tender slow-cooker carnitas are wrapped in butter lettuce and topped with pineapple and avocado salsa for a paleo dinner or appetizer with an ideal balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Ben is out of town this week, so I have been left to my own devices. Last night I got home and decided to read the first chapter or two of the kids’ novel Because of Winn-Dixie, which I needed to preview before using it in a lesson. Turns out the book is really good, and also a bit sad. A girl named India Opal, whose mother left when she was little, moves to Naomi, Florida with her dad and ends up adopting a stray dog who helps her make all kinds of interesting friends. Each friend has their own poignant story. I may have ended up crying several times (just enough to need a tissue, not straight-up bawling), and finishing the whole book in less than two hours. Now, that’s what I call a fun evening! Tonight I might watch the film version.

Bacon and Sweet Potato Chili

March 12, 2014 By Becky 16 Comments

This bacon and sweet potato chili is my go-to paleo dinner. The recipe makes a large batch, and it freezes well!

Do you have a really big skillet? If not, you are going to want to go buy one so you can make this bacon & sweet potato chili right away.

If you are not convinced that you need a 14-inch skillet, I understand. However, I intend to convince you to make this chili. It’s the best chili I’ve ever had, and it’s a complete and colorful one-pot meal. If you didn’t just go buy a huge skillet and/or don’t need to feed a bunch of people, you can halve the recipe and make it in a normal-sized pan.

Why is this the best chili ever? Well, because bacon. And sweet potatoes. And all the fresh things on top that make this the perfect comfort food to carry you from winter into spring.

This dish is for people like me, who don’t want beans or any tomato products or a lot of excess liquid in their chili. I just need salty bacon, sweet potatoes, some perfectly spiced meat, and what’s basically deconstructed guacamole for a topping. Using half pork and half beef gives the chili even better flavor. It’s amazing right away and it’s even more amazing the next day. My mother agreed that this is the best chili ever, and she is kind of hard to please. I haven’t heard her rave so much about a food I’ve made since this cranberry orange curd tart.

There is kale in this recipe. If you don’t want to put kale in your chili you obviously don’t have to, but I want to tell you that you can barely taste it. It’s just a nice way to sneak in some greens and start feeling a little more springy. I got the idea to put kale in chili from the cookbook Cooking with Coconut Oil, and now I’m hooked. It adds great color and texture, and makes me feel extra healthy when I eat it.

One more reason to make this bacon and sweet potato chili, and to put kale in it? Kale & sweet potato are really good friends. See proof here.

Fried Okra with Avocado Crema (Whole30 Day 18)

January 19, 2014 By Becky 4 Comments

My mom grew up in Austin, and that’s where I learned to love fried okra. We used to go every year to visit our family, and we always ate at this amazing cafeteria called the Marimont that has now been closed for several years. We would stay for a week, and eat there everyday for lunch. Here’s what I used to get: two or three sides of macaroni and cheese (theirs was the best!), an order of fried okra, and a slice of chocolate cream pie. I miss that place so much!

Fortunately, there are other places to get great fried okra (I recently had some really delicious okra at Tupelo Honey in Chattanooga). However, as far as I know, none of those places are in Massachusetts, and none of them offer fried okra that’s paleo, gluten-free, vegan and fried in coconut oil. I still consider my version an indulgence since it uses a lot of oil, but treats like this are important, especially when you’re doing a Whole30 and can’t have any desserts.

I made an easy avocado crema to go with my okra. If you have extra crema, it would also be great on eggs or as a dip for veggies. Of course, the okra is also amazing plain, with just good coarse salt sprinkled on top!

Caldo Tlalpeño

December 2, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

When I lived in Houston, I loved to stop at El Rey Taquería for a big bowl of their tortilla soup, which was packed with chicken, shredded cheese, corn, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips, and also called caldo tlalpeño. The restaurant is open until 3 am on the weekends, and has a drive-through. I miss living the easy life in H-town, with all the drive-throughs, cheap prices, and delicious Mexican food! I decided it was time to make my own caldo tlalpeño up here in the frosty north.

A little research revealed that caldo tlalpeño and tortilla soup are not really the same thing. Tortilla soup usually has tortilla strips in it (shocking, right?), and caldo tlalpeño often has chickpeas and other vegetables like chayote. This is my version of the soup, which combines the best of both worlds. If you can’t find chayote (I found mine at the Vietnamese market), you can use zucchini instead or leave it out.

Blueberry Pancakes with a Secret Ingredient

August 4, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

Okay, I know I’ve been posting a lot of pancake recipes recently. But, I had to make these because I went berry picking yesterday, and all those adorable, sweet blueberries were begging to be made into pancakes. And, I had to share this recipe with you because I snuck in one of my favorite secret ingredients.

It’s green. It’s delicious. Can you guess what it is?

Sesame Lime Steak, Zucchini, & Avocado Salad

July 24, 2013 By Becky 1 Comment

After all those pancakes, I was ready for some meat. I cooked this steak on my George Foreman grill which, I’m ashamed to admit, had been riding in the trunk of my car ever since I moved back up from Houston two years ago. No worse for the wear, the grill worked fine when I finally brought it inside today. You can also cook your steak on a real grill or stovetop in a grill pan or heavy skillet.

This salad is my first attempt at using zucchini as noodles. I think in this recipe it really works. You aren’t tricked into thinking you’re eating real noodles, but the long, thin noodle shape is the perfect vehicle for the sauce, and the raw zucchini still has a little bit of a crunch to it.

Another ingredient note: this recipe calls for coconut aminos, which are a paleo replacement for soy sauce. In my opinion, the flavor is very similar. You won’t taste any coconut here. If you’re looking for coconut aminos, I found mine at Whole Foods. You can also just substitute soy sauce if you’re not avoiding soy.

Ingredients (serves 2):

For the steak:

2/3 pound thin sliced top round steak (or another thin cut)
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red chili paste
Juice of half a lime

For the salad:

2 zucchini, cut or peeled into thin, noodle-like matchsticks
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon almond butter
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon apple juice
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Lime wedges

To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and toss with the steak to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to two hours. If you marinate in the refrigerator, take the meat out 30 minutes before you plan to cook it to let it come to room temperature.

Heat a George Foreman grill or a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak to your desired doneness. Set steaks aside on a plate, covered.

In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and apple juice to make a smooth sauce. Toss the zucchini to coat it with the sauce, and divide the zucchini between two plates. Slice the steak into strips and place it on top of the zucchini. Top the steak with the avocado slices and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve warm or chilled with lime wedges.

Breakfast Arepas with Guacamole

May 4, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

Here’s the perfect Cinco de Mayo breakfast! Arepas (my favorite thing ever since I made these), eggs, and guacamole. These are pretty quick to throw together, and very filling and satisfying. Plus, who doesn’t love a chance to make guacamole first thing in the morning? I know I do!

I was excited to try arepas with some shredded cheese mixed into the batter, but once they were cooked I didn’t really notice the cheese. Oh well. Next up in my all-arepas-all-the-time series, I’ll be trying arepas with a big chunk of cheese stuffed in the middle. Cheese-bellied arepas, if you will. Stay tuned! I won’t make you wait long, I promise.

Ingredients (serves four):

For the arepas:
1 cup masarepa
(precooked fine yellow or white cornmeal)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional)
Butter for cooking

For the guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs, poached or fried
Salt and pepper

To make the guacamole, place all ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until combined but still chunky.

For the arepas, mix the masarepa, salt, and water and let sit for 5 minutes. Heat some butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Mix the cheese into the batter, then form patties about four inches across and half an inch thick. Fry until golden and crisped on both sides, about 10 minutes.

Spoon a generous layer of guacamole on top of a hot arepa, then top with an egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.