grain free Archives - Page 9 of 16

Announcing Paleo Planet + Marinated Skirt Steak with Cilantro-Lime Ghee

August 17, 2015 By Becky 21 Comments

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

Announcing Paleo Planet + Marinated Skirt Steak with Cilantro-Lime Ghee | acalculatedwhisk.com

Big news! I wrote a cookbook!

Paleo Planet is available for pre-order now and comes out on November 3rd, 2015. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound or read more about it on the Harvard Common Press site.

The book has over 125 paleo recipes inspired by cuisines from around the world, all made without gluten, grains, refined sugar, legumes, soy, or dairy (with the exception of ghee). There are plenty of main dishes made with poultry, beef, pork, lamb, and seafood, as well as chapters for appetizers, vegetable sides, spice blends and other pantry staples, and of course, desserts. Every single recipe has a color photo taken by me!

Writing this cookbook was a ton of work, but I’ve never eaten better than I did while working on it! It was so much fun researching dishes from different cuisines and adapting them to fit the paleo lifestyle. Some of the recipes in the book are traditional foods from a certain country, while others are more fusion recipes. Still others just incorporate exotic flavors into an old classic or provide a fresh twist on a well-loved recipe.

No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream

August 16, 2015 By Becky 6 Comments

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

No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream (sweetened with maple syrup) | acalculatedwhisk.com

So, have you made Nigella Lawson’s no-churn coffee ice cream? It’s ridiculously easy and delicious, and when I discovered how simple it was to make really good ice cream with just a mixer, I was tempted to get rid of my ice cream machine!

To make the no-churn ice cream, you beat heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and flavorings until it’s nice and thick, then freeze the ice cream. That’s all there is to it! The only thing is that I’m not a big fan of cooking with sweetened condensed milk–there’s so much refined sugar in it, and I try to avoid that whenever I can.

So I decided to try making my own sweetened condensed milk using maple syrup, with some guidance from this recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring. The homemade sweetened condensed milk takes a while to make, but your house will smell amazing. You do have to watch it pretty closely but don’t have to stir it constantly, so it’s a good time to do some cleaning or other tasks around the kitchen. I got a lot of dishes done while I was making it! (Anything that gets me to do more dishes is good, and pretty rare.)

The results are so much more delicious than canned sweetened condensed milk! The maple flavor adds a caramel note to the ice cream that goes perfectly with the chocolate and coffee. In addition to working beautifully in this ice cream, the maple-sweetened condensed milk is amazing in hot or iced coffee.

Pesto Shrimp Bake with Squash and Tomatoes

August 3, 2015 By Becky 25 Comments

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

Pesto Shrimp Bake with Squash and Tomatoes #30MinuteMondays | acalculatedwhisk.com

I know this is a totally blasphemous thing to say in the food blogging world, especially in the middle of summer, but I’m really not a fan of tomatoes. They’ve grown on me since I was a kid, when I wouldn’t touch foods with them in it (including pizza, ketchup, and most of all anything involving raw or sundried tomatoes). I now really enjoy a good tomato sauce (like this bolognese or this garlic tomato sauce) and I’ll dip into a fancy ketchup if it’s got curry mixed in or something, but the appeal of raw tomatoes still largely eludes me.

My best experience so far has been with a couple of memorable caprese salads, including one at dbar, one of my favorite Boston restaurants, which is conveniently located just blocks from our apartment. A caprese salad with housemade mozzarella and tomatoes and basil from their rooftop garden was on the specials menu, and my mom and I had to try it. And, surprisingly enough, I didn’t hate the raw tomatoes.

Brown Butter Cacao Nib Skillet Cake

July 27, 2015 By Becky 38 Comments

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

Brown Butter Cacao Nib Skillet Cake (Gluten free, Grain free) | acalculatedwhisk.com

It cooled down just enough in Boston this weekend for me to feel good about cranking up the oven and baking a cake. And boy, was I glad I did! This grain-free skillet cake is so easy to whip up, looks and smells like a giant cookie, but boasts a unique and sophisticated flavor thanks to the browned butter and cacao nibs. I highly recommend making it today–it’s perfect for dessert or simply as a snack cake!

This recipe is adapted from Selma’s Table, my assigned blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal day. I had a hard time choosing a recipe because Selma has so many tantalizing options. I almost bought anchovies for the first time because this walnut, herb, and anchovy sauce sounded so delicious (I wanted to pair it with some zoodles!). This Italian version of shepherd’s pie looks fabulous, too. Also, what sounds better than black summer truffle pesto roast chicken?

Basil Lime Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

July 24, 2015 By Becky 4 Comments

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

Basil Lime Chicken with Roasted Vegetables | acalculatedwhisk.com

Happy Friday! Are you ready to slather your dinner in an irresistible basil lime compound butter?

I love this meal because it’s simple and flavorful. The basil lime butter makes the chicken and vegetables more delicious without making them taste any less like themselves. Instead of obscuring the flavors of the main ingredients like heavy sauces sometimes do, it just kisses them with a little herbal, citrusy richness that still lets their natural essence come through.

For the roasted vegetables, you can use whatever you have on hand. I used beets, carrots, summer squash, and onions. They need different amounts of time to roast, so I added the beets to the baking sheet first, then the carrots, and finally the squash and onions. If you want to sub in other vegetables and aren’t sure how long they need to roast, check out this handy chart.

Caramelized Salmon with Basil Chile Oil and Pickled Vegetables

July 20, 2015 By Becky 38 Comments

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

Caramelized Salmon with Basil Chile Oil and Pickled Vegetables #30MinuteMondays | acalculatedwhisk.com

Broiled salmon, basil chile oil, and quick-pickled summer vegetables

team up for a fast and fresh paleo dinner with tons of flavor.

As a recent salmon convert, I’m still a little bit surprised every time I bite into a piece of salmon and find that it’s totally delicious.

For so long the strange pink hue of salmon turned me off, but now I can’t get enough. My favorite way to prepare salmon is under the broiler, where it cooks in less than ten minutes flat. I love how the top of the fish gets nicely browned and even a little bit crispy (especially here, with the help of a sprinkling of maple sugar) while the inside remains perfectly tender. This caramelized salmon is inspired by a recipe from Lindsay of Pinch of Yum and it’s SO good.

Tiger Nut Brownies

July 17, 2015 By Becky 44 Comments

This post is sponsored by Tiger Nuts USA.

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

Tiger Nut Brownies (Paleo) | acalculatedwhisk.com

Tiger nut flour is the secret ingredient in these super fudgy paleo tiger nut brownies! And since tiger nuts are actually tubers, they’re great for people with nut allergies.

Have you heard of tiger nuts? They’re a new-to-me ingredient that I’m really excited to share with you. Here are three fun facts about tiger nuts:

1. They are not nuts! Tiger nuts are actually tubers, which means they’re a great snack option for anyone, even people with nut allergies.

2. Tiger nuts are a truly paleo food–scientists believe that they formed a large part of the diet of hominims and other early humans. They’ve also been found in Egyptian tombs from over 6,000 years ago. (I found this info on Wikipedia.)

3. Tiger nut flour makes delicious brownies!

Tiger Nuts (Paleo) | acalculatedwhisk.com

Bonus fact: tiger nuts are widely cultivated in Spain, where they’re used to make a special kind of horchata. Grab the recipe here!

The folks at Tiger Nuts USA sell peeled and unpeeled tiger nuts as well as tiger nut flour. I haven’t used the unpeeled tiger nuts yet, but I’m planning to use them to make tiger nut milk. (That has to be the coolest name for a kind of dairy-free milk, right? Why drink almond milk when you could drink TIGER NUT MILK??) Read More…

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Sesame Slaw

July 13, 2015 By Becky 8 Comments

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

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Sesame Slaw | acalculatedwhisk.com #30MinuteMondays

Quick and easy grilled shrimp skewers, creamy sesame slaw, and ripe avocado get together to form the perfect paleo summertime meal.

I know it’s been quiet on the blog this past week, but I’m back with another delicious and fast recipe for 30 Minute Mondays! You can grill or broil these shrimp skewers, and the vegetables don’t need cooking. That means if you grill outdoors, you can avoid heating up your kitchen and still end up with a delicious and balanced meal. That’s what summer is all about, right?

My fiancé and I have been down in Chattanooga for the past few days, checking out jobs, houses, and apartments. Even though I grew up in Boston, I’ve always felt like I’m a Southern girl at heart due to my mom’s Texas roots and all the time I’ve spent down there, so I’m really excited that we’re moving to Tennessee next month. I’m almost done with graduate school, and after we move I’ll get to start my job as a speech-language pathologist working with kids of all ages (and of course, blogging in the evenings and on weekends). I can’t wait!

Rainbow Salad with Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Walnut Dressing

July 6, 2015 By Becky 16 Comments

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

Rainbow Salad with Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Walnut Dressing #30MinuteMondays | acalculatedwhisk.com

All the colors of the rainbow are represented in this quick paleo salad with a creamy, dairy-free raspberry walnut dressing.

I’ve been wanting to make a rainbow salad for a while now, but this seemed like an especially opportune moment. Summer produce is everywhere in all its resplendent hues, and more Americans are able to get married than ever before. Let’s celebrate with this salad!

This healthy salad has pretty much all the colors of the rainbow (if you kind of merge indigo and violet together) plus pink. Pink is my favorite color and it’s not really fair that it’s not a part of the official rainbow, so I made sure it was included by making a nice pink dressing. Despite how creamy it looks, the dressing is dairy-free–the creaminess comes from the walnuts and shallots, and the color is thanks to the raspberries. It’s inspired by the creamy shallot dressing from my pan-seared chicken, orange, and walnut salad, but this one’s even better because it’s pink.

Cashew Chia Cacao Nib Pudding

July 3, 2015 By Becky 30 Comments

This cashew chia cacao nib pudding is paleo, gluten-free, and easily made vegan. It’s also a snap to make and surprisingly satisfying!

Happy fourth of July weekend! I made you a healthy dessert packed with superfoods: chia seeds, cacao nibs, honey, and cashews. Well, I am not totally sure that honey and cashews are superfoods, but they’re not bad, right? I think this pudding would be a welcome change on a weekend when desserts are often pumped full of artificial colors and flavors. (Although, if you do need something naturally red, white, and blue, may I suggest my pico de gallo de frutas? Just use blueberries instead of kiwis.)

Since this pudding is a make-ahead dessert, it’s perfect for having guests over. While you’re out grilling lamb burgers and mixing drinks (agua fresca, perhaps?) these perfectly-sized treats will just be gelling in the fridge.

Cashew Chia Cacao Nib Pudding (Gluten free, Paleo) | acalculatedwhisk.com

This was my first time using chia seeds and cacao nibs, and I loved them both. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the cacao nibs since they’re unsweetened chocolate, but while I wouldn’t necessarily eat a handful plain, they were perfect in this pudding. Some of the cacao nibs are blended with the cashew and chia base to deepen the chocolate flavors of the entire pudding, and some are sprinkled whole on top. This gives each bite of cashew chia pudding this craveworthy chocolatey crunch. It’s so good! Read More…

Stuffed Lamb Burgers + Paleo Burger Buns

July 1, 2015 By Becky 12 Comments

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

Stuffed Lamb Burgers + Paleo Burger Buns | acalculatedwhisk.com

Lamb burgers are stuffed with manchego cheese and cherry jam for an elegant twist, and served on easy-to-make yeasted paleo burger buns!

Last year, my fiancé Ben asked me to make stuffed lamb burgers for his birthday dinner. At that point I had never made a stuffed burger or even cooked with lamb, which I didn’t think I liked. Since it was his birthday, though, I went for it.

Can you see where this story is going? Spoiler alert: the burgers were delicious (and they’re especially delicious on paleo burger buns!). Stuffed burgers are not hard to make, and it turns out I DO like lamb!

Paleo Burger Buns | acalculatedwhisk.com

I make burgers all the time because they are such an easy, simple dinner, but I usually make them with beef and use butter lettuce for the buns. Upgrading to a lamb burger (and a stuffed one at that!) and making my own paleo burger buns definitely kicked my burger night game up several notches.

These burgers are stuffed with manchego cheese and cherry jam, so you end up with the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and meaty tastes. The strong flavors of lamb pair really well with fruit preserves, and I chose manchego because it’s one of my very favorite cheeses. If you’re avoiding dairy, you can stuff the burgers with just jam and they’ll still be delicious. You could even add some avocado slices on top for extra creaminess. Or, if adding jam to a burger freaks you out, you can stuff them with only the cheese (but I do hope you’ll try the jam at least once!).

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing

June 29, 2015 By Becky 10 Comments

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

Roasted Shrimp & Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing (Paleo) | acalculatedwhisk.com #30minuteMondays

Succulent roasted shrimp and asparagus are served with a tangy garlic scape green goddess dressing for an easy, 30-minute paleo dinner that’s also Whole30-compliant.

I’m kind of mad at myself because I missed the boat on ramps this year. At the photography workshop I went to in May we ate them at almost every meal (there’s a picture of them in this post), and when I got home I vowed to track some down so I could cook with them myself for the first time. However, I’m a lazy late-evening grocery shopper and there were never any ramps left. Before long, their short season had ended.

You’ll be relieved to hear that I am NOT missing out on garlic scapes.

While ramps are their own kind of plant and are usually foraged wild (hence their limited availability), garlic scapes are the flowering stalks of garlic plants that farmers cut off so the plant’s energy can be fully devoted to the bulb forming below. Garlic scapes are cool looking (see evidence above) and I like their name: it sounds like they’ve been trying to escape from the head of garlic, which is pretty much what they actually do.

Garlic scapes are milder than regular garlic with some fresher, grassier notes to their flavor–kind of like a cross between garlic, scallions, and chives. Here I used them to make a green goddess dressing with some fresh herbs and Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil mayo, which I just tried for the first time. I’m not a mayo person at all so I don’t foresee myself ever eating it straight up, but once some other flavors are mixed in to create a dressing or aioli, I can usually hop on board. (If you haven’t seen garlic scapes at your local market, don’t worry. You can substitute scallions and a clove of regular old garlic.)

« Previous Page
1
…
7
8
9
10
11
…
16
Next Page »