Cranberry Chocolate Truffles (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free)

I promise that after today's post we will take a *short* break from all the cranberries.

Did you make a batch of cranberry maple syrup and cran-maple compote yet?  You're going to need it for these amazing cranberry chocolate truffles! 

The inside of these candies is a beautiful dark pink color thanks to the cranberry maple syrup, and has just a hint of cocoa powder.  The truffles are dipped in dark chocolate to make their snappy outer shell, and then sprinkled with shredded coconut or chopped pecans just before the coating has time to set.  They may be the most festive thing I've ever made, other than this tart.  They are great for gifting.  I love the way the tart cranberry filling tastes with the rich dark chocolate, and I bet you and your lucky giftees will, too.

I think I just made up a word.  It's probably time to for me to stop and just get on with the recipe.

One more thing: these are adorable packaged in an egg carton.  Wrap that all up and see how befuddled people are when they open it and think you're giving them a carton of eggs for Christmas.

Paleo Poached Eggs with Creamy Spinach

Okay, big news. A Calculated Whisk is going paleo for one month. There. I said it. Now if I go and try to post some kind of insane ice cream cupcake cookie sandwich, you guys will call me out on it. Right?

Nobody tells you this, but the ugly downside of starting a food blog is you EAT so much of the delicious food you make that your figure kind of falls by the wayside. I love desserts, obviously, but you can only have so much. It's time for a change. In the past I've lost a lot of weight following the Zone diet, but this time I wanted to try something different.

I've been hearing so much about paleo, and it makes sense to me that eating the foods we evolved eating would be the healthiest way to go. I checked out this website for the Whole 30, and thought I would give it a try. I got The 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking: Entire Month of Paleo Meals, and I'm ready to go. The book is great, but I always think it's more fun to create my own recipes. So, here it is! My first paleo breakfast. It tastes great, and I didn't feel like anything was missing since it's so filling, rich, and creamy.

Oh, and by the way! I'm on an exercise program, too. I've started barre3's 28 to Great. That's six days of workouts a week (they have an awesome online library of 10, 30, 40, and 60 minute videos) for four weeks. I've done two workouts so far, and they are exhausting. It's really targeted muscle work and I can tell it's going to have an impact.

Phew.  This is a lot of changes, but I hope you guys will support me and try some of the recipes.  Let's start with the most important meal of the day.

Ingredients (serves one):

2 teaspoons coconut oil, plus extra

2 eggs

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups baby spinach (or more!)

2 teaspoons coconut milk or cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium low heat.  Add the garlic and saute until it starts to brown.  Turn the heat up to medium high, add the spinach, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the spinach, tossing frequently, until just wilted, 3-5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk or cream.

Meanwhile, poach your eggs.  See this post about how to do it on Smitten Kitchen, or use an egg poacher.  I greased the cups of my egg poacher with a little bit of coconut oil.

When the spinach is ready, make it into a nest on your plate.  Slide the finished eggs into the nest, sprinkle with more salt if desired, and serve hot.

You might also like:

Baked Eggs with Parmesan and Chives

Breakfast Arepas with Guacamole

Spinach & Parmesan Soufflé

Coconut Frappuccino

I love having time off in the summer--right now I'm taking four classes to get ready for my speech & language program, but I only have class three days a week.  Tuesday and Friday I'm relaxing.  This morning I went to Whole Foods, and I was practically the only one there!  I am really living the life.

Anyway, I had big plans to do dishes, clean out the fridge, etc. today, and I still have those plans.  But when I got back from the grocery store I needed a pick me up, and I decided it needed to be frosty and fancy.  After staring at the now-cold coffee in the machine and the cans of coconut milk I had just picked up (it's a pantry staple around here), I got this idea.

This frappuccino is super rich and delicious, but it's also vegan.  To lighten it up a little, you could use light coconut milk and skip the whipped cream.  Also, if it were later in the day, I would totally add Kahlua to this.  It wants to happen.  Especially because it's Friday.

P.S. How cute are these straws?  I've been wanting striped straws forever and these ones are made of compostable biodegradable paper!  I got mine here (that's an affiliate link--I will make 22¢ if you click on it and buy some straws :)).

Ingredients (serves 2):

About 8 ice cubes, or more to taste
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cold or at room temp
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons agave nectar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or coconut whipped cream, for serving
Coconut flakes, for serving

Blend together the ice, coffee, coconut milk, agave, and vanilla in a blender until smooth.  Taste and add more ice or agave if desired.  Serve topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of coconut flakes (they would be even more fabulous toasted, but I was too lazy).  Enjoy!

Lemon Coconut Vegan Ice Cream in a Cinnamon Sugar Bowl

I've been seeing a lot of ice cream recipes made with coconut milk lately, and I wanted to try one myself.  I love coconut milk, and I also like to create vegan treats that I can potentially share with my sister, who can't have any dairy (although I have to admit, she didn't get any of this ice cream--but now that I know how to do it I'll be able to make some just for her).

I'd also been wanting to try the lemon ice cream recipe from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home.  I like the idea of lemon ice cream because I love lemon, but I hate sorbet.  For me, sorbet is such a copout.  I've never eaten a sorbet without wishing with every spoonful that I were eating ice cream instead.

So, good news!  Vegans and people who can't eat dairy can still have fabulously creamy ice cream.  Coconut milk is so amazing here.  The main flavor is lemon, but there is a subtle coconut flavor.  But the main reason coconut milk is such a star is that it makes this ice cream just as rich and creamy as its from-a-cow counterpart.  Even if you can eat dairy, you should still try this!  If you stock your pantry with lots of coconut milk, you can be ready to make this pretty much anytime.  I can't wait to try the coconut milk ice cream base with other flavors.  All I did to make this recipe vegan was omit the cream cheese from Jeni's recipe, substitute light coconut milk for the whole milk and regular coconut milk for the cream, and add a little vanilla (I have to have a little vanilla in pretty much all my desserts--it rounds out the flavors).  The results are super delicious.

Oh, and the bowl!  I was going to just serve this ice cream in a regular bowl, until I saw this brilliant idea over at Two Peas & Their Pod (a fabulous blog that I highly recommend).  All I did was swap coconut oil for the butter in Maria's recipe, and I got this fabulous vegan cinnamon sugar ice cream bowl.  The flour tortillas I buy (Maria & Ricardo's) are certified vegan; check yours just to make sure.  This bowl takes the dessert over the top because it's like eating your ice cream inside a big crunchy piece of cinnamon toast.  It's also so easy to make that I may never serve ice cream in a real bowl ever again.

Ingredients for the ice cream (makes one quart; adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home):

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 lemons
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar (use vegan sugar to make the recipe vegan) plus 2 tablespoons, divided
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon sugar for serving (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and a couple of tablespoons of the light coconut milk to make a smooth paste.

Use a vegetable peeler to zest the lemons, making long strips of zest.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the remaining light coconut milk, the regular coconut milk, 2/3 cup of the sugar, and the corn syrup, lemon zest, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and boil for four minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Return to a boil and cook for 1 minute or so, stirring, until thickened.

Remove the mixture from the heat and chill in the refrigerator or freezer until completely cold.

Meanwhile, roll the lemons under the heel of your hand to prime them to release more juice.  Juice the lemons (you want about half a cup of juice).  Heat the lemon juice with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Refrigerate the syrup until cold.

When the ice cream mixture is chilled, pour it through a strainer into your ice cream maker.  While the machine is spinning, pour in the lemon syrup.  Once the ice cream is ready, freeze in an airtight container for at least three hours before serving.

If you want to add a little crunch and make your ice cream extra fabulous, serve it sprinkled with some lemon sugar.  Just grate some lemon zest and mix it with a little granulated sugar.  Yum!

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar bowls (adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod):

For each bowl:

1 flour tortilla
2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350.  Lightly grease one small ramekin (1 cup capacity) or ovenproof bowl for each bowl you want to make.

Spread 1 teaspoon or so of coconut oil on each side of the tortilla.  Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the tortilla.  Carefully place the tortilla in the ramekin, folding it as necessary to help it form a cup.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until browned and crisped on top.  Cool completely before filling with ice cream.  Cinnamon sugar bowls can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days.

Strawberry & Cream Margaritas

You didn't think I was going to leave you without an idea of which margarita to enjoy with your cupcakes, did you?  I am here for you! 

This is delicious.  I am not sure if it really counts as a margarita, but it has tequila in it.  And it has something on the rim (not salt, but who's counting?).

Ingredients (makes two servings):

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup coconut milk

4 ice cubes

2-3 shots silver tequila

Squeeze of lemon or lime juice, plus extra

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons honey (for a paleo-friendly version) or agave nectar (for a vegan version)

Sugar for glasses

Blend all ingredients except the sugar in a blender until smooth.  Taste, and add more lemon juice or agave nectar (or tequila!) if desired.

Dip the rims of two glasses into lemon juice and then sugar.  Pour into the glasses and enjoy!

¡Salud!

Berry Coconut Smoothie

I like to start my day with a smoothie, since it’s easy to make and gives me lots of energy.  I’ve made a lot of smoothies in my day, but this is the best one!  It’s very creamy and the shredded coconut gives it great texture.  If you have some coconut milk left over from making chocolate mousse, this is the perfect way to use it up.  You can use whatever fruit you have on hand.  If you use fresh fruit, add a handful of ice cubes to your smoothie to get that frozen feel. This recipe makes one very generous serving—I usually drink a full glass at breakfast, then save the rest for an afternoon snack.  If you use soy protein instead of whey protein, this can be vegan.  Refrigerate leftovers, or freeze them and blend again before serving.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cold water, plus more as needed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Jay Robb's Vanilla Whey Protein Powder, and one scoop has 20 grams of protein.  Use soy protein for a vegan smoothie.)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Dash of nutmeg

Blend first four ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary.

Nutritional Information (I only share this for recipes where seeing the nutritional info won't discourage you from making it):

Calories-333
Fat-17 grams
Protein-18 grams
Carbohydrates-28 grams

I use sparkrecipes.com to calculate nutritional information, and can't guarantee that it's totally accurate.

I hope you enjoy this smoothie!  If you have your own go-to smoothie recipe, leave me a comment and let me know so I can try it.

Make Your Own Chocolate Truffles (plus Vegan Coconut Almond Truffles)

Chocolate truffles are so easy to make, it’s amazing that places like Godiva get away with charging so much for them.  If you want yours to be even more like the ones at the chocolate shop, you can melt your favorite milk or dark chocolate and dip the chilled truffles in it instead of rolling them in cocoa powder and confectioner’s sugar.  Use a fork to remove the truffle once it’s covered in melted chocolate.  Let the extra drip off, and place the truffle on wax or parchment paper or in a candy cup.   This is a deliciously rich, fancy, no-bake dessert that will impress anyone.  Chocolate truffles also make a great gift wrapped up in a cellophane bag or placed in a decorative box or tin.  This recipe makes about 20 truffles.

Ingredients (adapted from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten): 

       ½ cup heavy cream

       3.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate

       3.5 ounces semisweet chocolate

       1 tablespoon brewed coffee

       ½ teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring

       Pinch of salt

       1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other liqueur of your choosing

       5 ounces melted chocolate for dipping (optional)

       Cocoa and powdered sugar for rolling (optional)

Break the chocolates into small pieces and place in a bowl (don’t use chocolate chips instead of bars, because they have additives you don’t want in this recipe).  Bring the cream to a boil, then quickly pour it through a sieve into the bowl with the chocolate.  Use a whisk to stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  If your chocolate isn’t quite melted, put the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until smooth.

Add the coffee, vanilla or other extract, salt, and liqueur and whisk until smooth.  Chill the mixture for at least 45 minutes, until firm enough to scoop.

When the mixture is firm, use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop to form balls, and place them on a sheet of parchment paper.  Don’t worry if the balls aren’t totally round and smooth; you will have a chance to perfect them later.

Chill the balls for about 15 minutes, then roll them in cocoa and mold them into spheres.  Chill overnight is possible, then roll in powdered sugar before serving.  Or, roll yours in a mix of cocoa and powdered sugar like I did.  Alternately, place in the freezer for about 15 minutes, then dip into a melted chocolate of your choice.

Vegan Coconut Almond Truffles

Ingredients:

       3.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (check the label to make sure the brand you’re buying doesn’t have any milk products)

       3.5 ounces semisweet chocolate

       ½ cup coconut milk

       ½ teaspoon vanilla

       ½ teaspoon almond extract

       1 tablespoon brewed coffee

       Pinch of salt

       4 tablespoons shredded coconut

       4 tablespoons sliced almonds

Melt the chocolate as described in the recipe above, using coconut milk instead of cream.  Add the extracts, coffee, and salt and whisk to combine.

Grind the coconut and almonds in the food processor until fine.  Stir half of the nut mixture into the chocolate and save the rest for rolling.

Proceed as in the above recipe, chilling the chocolate mixture before forming it into balls.  Instead of cocoa, roll the chocolates in the coconut and almond mixture.

Chocolate Mousse with a Secret Ingredient

Here it is…another fabulous vegan dessert!  You have to try this.  It’s easier than easy, and super delicious.  No cooking is involved, and it comes together in less than five minutes.

So, I told you it’s vegan.  Can you guess what the secret ingredient is? I will give you one hint: it’s not avocado (although I have been wanting to try this recipe for chocolate avocado pudding).
Here’s a picture of the process:

Have you figured it out?  It’s coconut cream!  Isn’t that crazy?  Maybe you already knew about this whipped coconut cream miracle, but I had no idea until I saw this photo tutorial the other day. Today after dinner (I tried to make shrimp korma—it was pretty good but I want to tweak the recipe before I share it with you) I had an extra can of coconut milk and a hankering to try it.  But, I felt like it would be lame to just make and eat a bowl of whipped coconut cream.  So, I searched for a dessert featuring this amazing stuff, and found and adapted this recipe from Baking Chic.  If you have a can of coconut milk, go put it in the refrigerator right now so you can make this tomorrow.  If you don’t have a can of coconut milk, go out and buy one, then put it in the refrigerator so you can make this tomorrow.  If you’re in a big hurry, put your can in the freezer so you can make this in half an hour.

Ingredients (serves one):

Cream from one can of coconut milk, chilled
1-3 tablespoons cocoa, to taste
1-3 tablespoons sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Open the can of coconut milk, and spoon the hardened cream off the top.  Save the liquid for something else, like a smoothie.  Using an electric mixer, whip the coconut cream until fluffy.  Mix in sugar to taste and vanilla.  The original recipe called for three tablespoons of sugar, but I thought that would be way too sweet once I saw how little cream I had (maybe the yield varies by can).  Mine was perfect with a tablespoon and an extra teaspoon of sugar.  Set aside a few tablespoons of the whipped cream to use as a topping.  Mix in the cocoa to taste (I used a tablespoon and a half).  Serve the chocolate mousse with the reserved whipped cream on top.

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

I love cupcakes!  I love them so much that I named a kitten after them (she was the size of a cupcake when I found her, so it totally makes sense).  To go with my lemon kick, I decided to create these lemon coconut cupcakes.  The bird’s nest idea comes from Martha and can be found here, and the recipe is inspired by Ina’s in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook and Gaby’s found here.  I know this may not be getting out there in time to be part of your Easter dinner, but with regular decorating these could be enjoyed anytime.

Ingredients (makes 18 cupcakes):

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 teaspoons lemon juice
5 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut 

Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting (makes enough for 18 cupcakes):

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp 8 oz. Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese), at room temp
Zest of one lemon
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

To fill and decorate: 

1 cup lemon curd(about half a recipe)

1 cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut
1 recipe cream cheese frosting
Cadbury mini eggs or other candy eggs

To make the cupcakes:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325.  Cream the butter and sugar in an stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, then add the lemon zest and juice.
2.   Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3.   Add the dry ingredients to to the mixer in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk, and mix just until combined.
4.   Fold in the coconut.
5.   Divide the batter among the cupcake cups, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the frosting:
Cream the softened butter and cream cheese together.  Sift in the powdered sugar.  Add the lemon zest and extracts and mix well.


To fill and decorate:

When the cupcakes are done, cool them completely.  Use a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece out of the top of each cupcake, making sure not to cut all the way down to the bottom.  Use a small spoon to fill the empty cones with lemon curd (and have fun eating the little cone-shaped pieces of cake!  No one is going to miss those!).

Transfer the frosting to a large ziploc bag, and cut off the tip of one corner to make a dime-sized hole.  Pipe a circle of frosting onto the outer edge of each cupcake.  Sprinkle toasted coconut on top to cover.  (To toast coconut, cook it in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 8 minutes.  Don’t turn your back on it because it burns easily.)   Then, place 3 Cadbury mini eggs in the middle of each nest.