low carb Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Carnitas con huevo

April 24, 2017 By Becky 40 Comments

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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.

Zucchini Lasagna

April 27, 2015 By Becky 40 Comments

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I’ve been on the fence for a while about whether I should buy a spiralizer. I want to make rutabaga noodles so badly, but I can’t seem to bring myself to purchase another kitchen gadget. I’ve made zoodles by hand with my julienne peeler, but it’s a huge pain. After adding the spiralizer to my cart on Amazon several times and then taking it back out again, I’ve decided that I’m going to ask for one for my birthday next month (are you reading this, Mom?). I won’t feel as bad about getting yet another cooking tool if it is a gift from my wonderful mother.

In the meantime, I was excited to find this zucchini lasagna over on Sarah and Tim’s blog, Curious Cuisiniere, because it uses veggie noodles that you don’t need any special gadgets to make. Strips of zucchini stand in for lasagna noodles, but all the great Italian flavors and delicious textures of the original dish still come through.

Curious Cuisiniere was my assignment for this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal, and I had a great time perusing the site to choose a dish. I noticed that this recipe isn’t their only noodle-free lasagna–they also have a butternut squash lasagna that I’m planning to try in the fall. Sarah and Tim also have recipes from countries all around the world, and the best part is that they have an interactive map that helps you explore food from different regions. Click on India, for example, and you’ll be taken to a page with all of the Indian recipes on Curious Cuisiniere. So cool! If you’re looking to expand your palate and cooking repertoire with some food from faraway lands, their blog is the place to do it.

Baked Eggs in Squash Rings (Paleo, Gluten-free)

December 7, 2013 By Becky 14 Comments

These baked eggs in squash rings make a healthy and simple breakfast that’s also elegant and delicious. They’re paleo and Whole 30-compliant! (New photo added August 2019, but I’ve left the old ones for posterity!)

There is a lot going on right now! I have three final exams next week, holiday parties are starting to pop up everywhere, and I’ve decided to put together a little e-cookbook for my email subscribers (click here to subscribe to make sure you get it as soon as it comes out!). Don’t ask me why I started a new project right before finals week–I just couldn’t help myself. Once I think of a fun idea, I need to get started as soon as possible.

With so much happening, it’s important to start the day off with a good, healthy breakfast. This one is elegant enough for a weekend brunch, but simple enough to make any day of the week.

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.

Stuffed Zucchini with Goat Cheese & Herbs

September 4, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

Cheese is back! After finishing up my version of a Whole 30, I’ve been adding some dairy back into my diet. I’ve made some interesting discoveries. I used to think that too much coffee upset my stomach, but since switching to almond milk, I realized it was all the milk in my coffee that was causing me problems (I like a LOT of milk in my coffee). So I’m trying not to go too crazy with the dairy, but I’m fine with a little cheese.

Goat cheese is one of my favorite cheeses, and it’s one that people who are lactose intolerant can often still enjoy. Apparently this is because the fat molecules in goat’s milk are shorter than those in cow’s milk, and thus easier to digest. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I can enjoy goat cheese. It really takes these stuffed zucchini over the top.

One more note on ingredients: this was my first time cooking with ground pork. It was so good! Why is everyone still buying ground beef all the time? I mean, I’m sure this recipe would be good with beef, or even ground chicken or turkey, but the pork just has so much great flavor. Perhaps this is due to a higher fat content? What I really want to know is this: why don’t people make hamburgers out of ground pork? Any thoughts? After all, they are called HAMburgers…

On to the recipe! I’m eager to try this with other vegetables as well: maybe mushrooms instead of peppers, or shallots instead of onions. Let me know if you try this or any variations!

Indochinese Chilli Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice

August 13, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

I LOVE Indian food. Luckily for me, my mom’s apartment is just blocks from Singh’s Cafe, which has a fabulous lunch buffet every day of the week. I go more than anyone should go anywhere, but I just love it so much. One of the best parts of going to lunch buffet is that there is no waiting: you show up, you sit down (or not), and you go get your food! I also love it because you can try some of everything.

Spicy Cocoa Chili

August 11, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

If you are going to eat paleo, you are going to need a lot of protein in your fridge. Otherwise, you will be constantly cranky.

Shrimp & Zoodles with Garlic Tomato Sauce

August 6, 2013 By Becky 8 Comments

Have you ever made zoodles? If you get yourself a julienne peeler, you can be making zucchini into low-carb noodle stand-ins in no time. It’s actually really good. You may not be able to fool people into thinking they are eating actual spaghetti, but I don’t think anyone will be complaining.

Mocha Marinated Steak with Peach Salsa and Cauliflower Mash

August 5, 2013 By Becky 17 Comments

If you haven’t stopped by since last month’s chocolate party, you’ll notice that things have changed some since the days of double malt ice cream sandwiches. A Calculated Whisk is going paleo! I’m doing a Whole30, and the blog is doing it with me. So for the rest of August, you’ll find more healthy recipes with fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, and seafood, but no grains, sugar, sweeteners, legumes, soy, milk, or processed food. Desserts (at least paleo ones, which can still be impressively delicious!) will return in the fall.

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?

Veggie Hash & Eggs

August 2, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

This morning when I woke up, I wanted to do something a little different with my eggs. When I saw the vegetables we had in the fridge (asparagus and Brussels sprouts), I started to wonder why some vegetables are a common find at breakfast time, while some are not. Mushrooms, peppers, and onions are often seen as omelette fillings, but Brussels sprouts not so much.

10 Delicious Recipes Paleoified

July 25, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

I am going strong on the fourth day of my Whole30! I’ve been taking a look at my recipe index, trying to find more recipes I can tweak to make them paleo. I like variety, and it can’t ALL be about almond flour pancakes and zucchini noodles. The more dishes I have in my paleo arsenal, the more likely I am to successfully stay full and on track.

This weekend is going to be a big challenge, because I’m heading down to Austin for my cousin’s wedding. It’s going to be really hard to say no to tacos and wedding cake! I’m thinking about relaxing my standards a TINY bit while I’m there…nothing too crazy, but maybe a little barbecue sauce. Do you guys know any great Austin restaurants where I might be able to get great food without straying too far from my paleo intentions? If you do, leave me a comment! I’ll take some pictures while I’m out and about and share with you when I get back.

So, without further ado, here are ten recipes from my index along with easy ways to make sure they’re paleo.

1. Gambas al ajillo–this recipe is ALREADY paleo! It would be great over zucchini noodles.

2. Baked Eggs with Chives–omit the parmesan and use coconut milk instead of the cream (or just leave that out). This would be great with some more herbs added in, too. If you haven’t tried baked eggs, get on it!

3. Berry Coconut Smoothie–leave out the protein powder, or use a paleo version (I just discovered this site and haven’t tried their products, but it looks interesting!).

4. Chocolate Mousse–sweeten with honey to taste instead of sugar. If you haven’t tried this, check it out–there is a secret ingredient and it’s SO easy and decadent!

5. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Creamy Rutabaga–use coconut milk instead of the milk or cream.

6. Vietnamese Pork & Vermicelli Bowl–omit the sugar and vermicelli (add more veggies if you like), use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and cook the scallions in coconut oil instead of canola oil.