Blistered Okra with Garlic and Cumin #30MinuteMondays

This blistered okra with garlic and cumin is much healthier than fried okra

 but just as addictive! It's also paleo, gluten-free, and vegan.

How do you feel about okra? I always hated it in gumbo and other gummy preparations as a kid, but quickly fell in love with fried okra. Last year I even made a paleo version of fried okra that's really good, but it's not super quick to make. 

My love for okra eventually expanded to include bhindi masala, an Indian curry where the okra is cooked with plenty of ginger, garlic, onion, and tomato, and there's a recipe for that in my cookbook. While delicious, bhindi masala also takes a little time to make.

When I scored some really beautiful okra at the farmers' market, I wanted to cook it quickly in a way that would highlight its intrinsic flavor while minimizing its intrinsic gumminess. A little research indicated that cooking okra briefly over relatively high heat would be most likely to achieve those results.

I was so happy with how this recipe turned out! Slicing the okra lengthwise provides a nice surface for browning while preserving the attractive silhouette of the pods. (Did you know okra is also known as lady fingers? Move on over, cookies whose sole purpose is to make tiramisu!) The recipe starts with getting a cast iron skillet nice and hot, then adding butter or oil. Whole cumin seeds, garlic cloves, and dried chiles are added next, infusing the cooking fat with savory and subtly spiced flavor and a gentle, warming heat. The okra are added next and cooked for about ten minutes, turning a few times, until nice and browned. Add a hefty sprinkle of flaky sea salt and that's it! Non-fried okra that you won't be able to stop eating.

Curry Butter Shrimp

An easy and flavorful meal made from pantry staples, curry butter shrimp 

takes ten minutes to make and is gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

I've kind of been boycotting grocery stores. Weekend before last I went to Florida for a wedding, and since getting back I have not set foot in one. I finished up my last week of my last internship for graduate school this past Friday, we're getting ready to move down to Chattanooga this coming weekend, and I'm exhausted. Ben has been kind enough to pick up essentials like coffee, eggs, fruit, and bacon for us, but the eggs ran out yesterday.

What's a girl to do without any eggs for breakfast and with a long day of packing ahead of her? The answer is definitely not grocery shopping. The answer is curry butter shrimp! Yes, I ate this at ten in the morning. No, I have no regrets. #dinnerforbreakfast may not be mainstream yet, but just you wait and see!



I didn't do a 30 Minute Mondays post yesterday because I wanted to announce my cookbook (Paleo Planet is available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and indie bookstores near you!). This is even better, though, because this is like 10 Minute Wednesday--not as alliterative, but much faster. Not counting the rice or cauliflower rice, this meal comes together in just ten minutes. (And, true confession, I didn't even make this rice. It's left over from the Indian food we ordered last night.)

Curry butter shrimp is a flavorful pantry recipe that requires almost no chopping (except for the cilantro--but if you're really anti-chop you could just break that up into little sprigs). Melted butter or ghee is mixed with Thai curry paste to form a fragrant sauce for cooking the shrimp. A tiny bit of maple syrup and fish sauce add just enough sweetness and umami to complement the rich butter and spicy curry.

Crispy Chicken with Fig and Shallot Compote

So, there may or may not be a poem at the end of this post, entitled "Ode to Figs" and written in the style of Pablo Neruda. (Have you read his poem "Ode to the Artichoke"? I'm not very into poetry but I'm very into artichokes--it's one of the few poems I truly appreciate. Here it is in Spanish and English.) Figs are special, so I'm sharing a special but easy recipe that showcases them in all their glory. Plus, my ridiculous poem.

I got so excited when I discovered fresh figs at the market earlier this week. It seems that figs have a short season in early summer and a longer season in the fall, so if you can't find them now, hopefully you'll bookmark this post for later.

Creamy Whipped Feta

This post is sponsored by Nikos Feta.

Have you ever whipped feta cheese? 

If the answer is no, buckle your seat belt and get out your food processor. You are in for quite a ride (or at least, your food processor is in for a quite a workout).

This recipe is super simple, but totally changes the character of feta. The rich and tangy flavor that's usually packaged in chewy little crumbles infuses this smooth, creamy, and versatile dip. I enjoyed this whipped feta with fresh asparagus spears, carrot sticks, and my favorite gluten-free crackers, but the possibilities are limitless. (It MAY have crossed my mind to use this instead of tomato sauce on a pizza, maybe with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella balls, too. Doesn't that sound amazing?)

Nikos Feta works beautifully in this dip. It's not as overwhelmingly salty as some fetas are, but still has the wonderfully sharp and distinctive flavor that feta is famous for. It's sold in a block or in a tub of crumbles, and either one will work for this recipe! I used their traditional feta, but I bet this would also be great with one of their other flavors (tomato basil, perhaps?). You can see all the different flavors here.

Easy Baked Chicken with Sherry Vinaigrette

Remember my rant about chicken breasts from last week?

I may have to retract some of it. After accidentally buying chicken breasts when I thought I was buying thighs, I was forced to give my least favorite cut of chicken another chance. Spoiler alert: it came out really well!

This baked chicken is really easy to make and stays moist thanks to a quick vinaigrette and a piece of parchment paper tucked around it when it cooks. It's great for adding to salads, tossing with some zoodles, or just eating plain with a side of veggies. I tossed a couple of handfuls of greens with some extra sherry vinaigrette, sliced up half an avocado, and enjoyed my chicken in this simple salad.

Today I also wanted to let you all know about an awesome program called Paleo Rehab. Laura Schoenfeld of ancestralizeme.com and Kelsey Marksteiner of healthyguthealthylife.com, both registered dieticians, developed this comprehensive program to help people suffering from adrenal fatigue. (If you're not familiar with adrenal fatigue, some of the symptoms are brain fog and persistent lack of energy. Check out the paleo rehab site to learn more!)

The program is on sale with a special bonus until May 4th--in addition to the videos, meal plans, and worksheets included in Paleo Rehab, you'll get exclusive access to office hours with Laura and Kelsey twice a week. If you're eating a paleo diet, getting enough sleep, and still feeling exhausted, this program could be perfect for you. (I'm a paleo rehab affiliate and also contributed one of my recipes to the program.)

Roasted Romanesco with Za'atar Yogurt Sauce

Strange coincidence: last year, on January 25th, 2014, I wrote about romanesco in a post entitled 7 Uncommon Vegetables for your Produce Bucket List. I had never seen romanesco in a store. I kept my eyes peeled for it all year, but could never find any. That is, until last Wednesday, when I finally spotted some at my local Whole Foods . . . on January 25th, 2015. Weird, right?

Coming across this gorgeous vegetable exactly one year after posting about it has me wondering if it might be magic. I mean, look at those spirals! According to Wikipedia, the number of spirals on a head of Romanesco is a Fibonacci number, and its form approximates a fractal. How is it possible that something like this exists?

In addition to its special properties, romanesco is delicious. I roasted it whole because I couldn't bear to slice it up any sooner than I had to. Its flavor is similar to cauliflower and broccoli, but a little milder and nuttier. And, just like with cauliflower or broccoli, the browned bits are extra delicious. If you can't find romanesco, you could definitely use one of its brassica cousins for this recipe instead.

Breakfast Potatoes

I love breakfast potatoes (or home fries, cottage fries, or whatever you prefer to call them), but they take a while to make. It's a rare morning when I wake up with enough time and patience to chop potatoes and wait for them to cook, in the oven or on the stovetop.

That's why I was so excited to read about this brilliant shortcut on Blue Kitchen: microwaving the potatoes for a few minutes with a little water gives them a head start, and they then finish cooking quickly in a skillet over medium-high heat. The best part is that this technique is more than just a shortcut: the potatoes turn out BETTER than potatoes cooked only in the oven or skillet--perfectly browned and crisp on the outside, and tender but not dry on the inside.

Pesto Frittata

I'm finished with the first week of my Whole30, and feeling pretty great.  You can see almost every delicious thing I've eaten over on Instagram--I've been having so much fun trying out new recipes and revisiting old favorites.  Doing a challenge like this really gets the creativity flowing!

So far I'm breezing through each day without craving any off-plan foods--I even survived a friend's birthday party last night without any serious yearnings for the cake, cookies, booze, or tortilla chips that everyone else was enjoying.  I sipped on seltzer with lime, snacked on mixed nuts, and felt pretty darn virtuous.

Choco-Ginger Truffles

The chocolates pictured here are survivors of a kitchen disaster.

Truffles are easy and fun to make, and I find the process comforting.  To make these ones, I peeled a chunk of ginger with a spoon (like this), grated it with a microplane, and dropped it into a saucepan with almond milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Once the mixture had come to a robust simmer, I poured it over a bowl of chocolate chips.  I whisked the mixture into shiny perfection: truffle batter.

So far, so good.  I let the batter chill in the freezer, compartment of choice for impatient truffle-makers. When it was firm, I formed the truffles with a melon baller, a method I learned from watching Ina Garten.  If you don't have a melon baller, you can approximate one with a teaspoon measure; just make sure you dip the utensil in hot water in between truffles, and don't be afraid to scoop forcefully.

After a quick roll in some cocoa powder, the truffles were almost ready.  I ate one, consumed the equivalent of another by scraping the bowl with a spoon so that no gingery chocolate would go to waste, and stashed the tray with the twenty remaining truffles in the fridge to chill.

Easy French Frittata

This omelette is inspired by the best breakfast I ever had, which was at a little French cafe in Montreal two summers ago.  Ben and I drove up there and stayed for about a week, and this meal has been stuck in my head ever since.  The whole trip was pretty great (it was our first vacation together), but this omelette was a definite highlight, and I've been trying to recreate it ever since.  I'm really mad at myself because I can't remember the name of the cafe--I didn't have a blog back then, so there wasn't an easy place to store my restaurant ramblings.  If it comes to me, I'll be sure to update this post with a link.

Here's a picture of our breakfasts that day: my omelette had Brie and spinach, and Ben's had duck confit and gruyere.  Both were deliciously creamy, with eggs cooked to perfection and thick slices of cheese that were barely melted in the middle.  They were amazing.  The sides of hash browns, buttery baguette, and breakfast beans were also ridiculously tasty.

Cranberry Maple Syrup & Cran-Maple Compote (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free)

You heard it here: cranberry is the new pumpkin!  I am pretty much ready to put these little red super-berries in everything I make from now until Christmas.  I love the depth the tart flavor of cranberries adds to desserts, and they're great in savory dishes, too.

This recipe is so easy--just two ingredients, and you end up with two delicious and giftable condiments.  The cranberry maple syrup would be great on pancakes, but I'm also thinking about incorporating it into a festive cocktail.  I've already used it as the base for another dessert (involving chocolate) that would make a great gift, so stay tuned!  If you want to be really prepared, make a batch of this now and just stash it in your fridge.  I promise you won't be sorry you did!

The cranberry compote is also delicious, and less sweet than the syrup for those of you who don't want to get a toothache.  I used some to make a parfait with yogurt and pecans this morning, and it was amazing.  (Holiday parfait--it's a thing!  A delicious thing that rhymes!)  You could also spread the compote on toast or even serve it with pork chops.

I had so much fun watching and listening to the cranberries pop while I was making this recipe.  It's more subtle than popcorn, but still great.  I tried to make a video of it to post on Instagram, but it turns out I don't know how to do that.  Anyway, it made me think of the song "Get It Poppin'" (warning: explicit lyrics) from ten years ago--it's a completely ridiculous Fat Joe song where he asks the ladies what they're gon' do, and they say "I'ma get-get-get it poppin!" over and over again.  So, yes ... that song has been stuck in my head since I made this.  Still totally worth it, though!

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

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.  I don't know about you, but I think these squash-framed baked eggs are pretty much the most gorgeous thing ever.  They taste great, too!  Buy some squash today so you can make these tomorrow for Sunday brunch.  That's it from me--I'm off to study!

Salted Pepita Chocolate Bark (Great Gift Idea!)

Here's another post with an easy idea for a great gift: salted pepita chocolate bark.  I brought little baggies of this to work last week, and everybody loved them.  My coworkers were convinced that I bought the bark somewhere fancy.  No one needs to know that this gourmet treat takes only minutes to make!  I wrapped mine up in little cellophane treat bags, but you could also pack a bunch up in a nice holiday tin for a more sizeable gift.

If you missed my first post in the great gift ideas series, check it out.  When you're done making vanilla salt, come back here to read about the bark.  See you in five minutes!

Done?  If not, you can substitute any coarse or flaky sea salt here, but the vanilla salt really takes this over the top.  The pepitas provide a nice crunch and a pop of color, and the combination of vanilla bean, salt, and dark chocolate is absolutely amazing.

I like to make this right before bed, then leave it out to harden while I sleep.  When I wake up in the morning, it's ready to break into pieces.  Because of this routine, Ben calls this "breakfast chocolate".  I can assure you, however, that it's delicious any time of day.  I'm planning on making some more so I can put out a big bowl of it on Thanksgiving, for those of us who like to nibble on something sweet while waiting for the turkey.  Enjoy!

Quick Curried Pumpkin Soup (Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegan)

I'm on a really big soup kick right now.  It's so comforting to sit down with a bowl of soup on a chilly fall day, especially a soup that's both kinds of hot: warm and a little spicy.  The only problem with soup is that it sometimes takes a while to make.  Not this one, though.  You can have this soup on the table in less than 15 minutes!  It's a deliciously creamy, warmly spiced fall soup that has a depth of flavor not usually achieved in super fast recipes.  If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can whip up this soup at a moment's notice.  It's great for lunch when paired with a big salad, and would also make a great Thanksgiving starter!

I used homemade chicken stock made from a rotisserie chicken for this soup.  It was my first time making chicken stock, and I'm so glad I took the time to do it!  It made the whole house smell wonderful, and I felt like I was being really frugal.  I froze some of the stock in an ice cube tray, so now I have a bag of homemade stock cubes to use to make sauces and other recipes.  This recipe will also work with store-bought stock, though--the real flavor star here is the curry paste.

To make the soup vegan or vegetarian, just omit the fish sauce or use a splash of coconut aminos instead.  The soup will still be nice and flavorful with just the curry paste, stock, and pumpkin.  You can even omit the sunbutter or almond butter if you're out, but it adds a nice richness to the soup.

Paleo 3:2:1 Flour Blend (Gluten-free)

Are you as addicted to baking as I am?  Are you also, like me, trying to eat healthier food without spending all day and night in the kitchen?  This flour blend is for you.  When you bake grain-free, you can make delicious treats without all the guilt and gluten.  When I stay gluten-free, I have more energy and fewer tummy problems.  Even if you're not technically gluten-intolerant, you may still feel better without it!  I also guarantee your hips will thank you.  To save time in the kitchen, this flour blend creates a one-stop-shop for gluten-free baking: you measure once and get the benefits of three grain-free flours in precise balance with each other.  If you haven't tried baking without grains yet, whip up a batch of this flour blend!  Then start experimenting, and see who you can fool.  I bet you'll be hearing, "I can't believe this is gluten-free!" in no time.

I like to make my baked goods with a combination of almond flour, tapioca starch, and coconut flour. The almond flour lends flavor and richness, the tapioca starch adds lightness and helps with browning, and the coconut flour helps achieve a cake-like texture.  I've been experimenting with the best ratio for these three flours, and have settled upon 3:2:1--three parts almond flour, 2 parts tapioca starch, and 1 part coconut flour.  The next step is to sift the three flours together to make a blend, so that you only need to measure my flour once to make a recipe.  You can of course make any quantity of this flour blend by following the 3:2:1 ratio; the recipe below will make about four cups.

You can start by using this flour blend in these molten chocolate cakes--just use 6 tablespoons of the blend instead of the smaller quantities of each type of flour.  I also used this blend to make a delicious coffee cake this morning--stay tuned for that recipe later this week!  I'm experimenting with substituting this flour blend cup-for-cup for all-purpose flour in regular recipes, and will update this post to reflect which recipes I've had success with.  I can't guarantee that this will be an effective flour substitute in every case, but it's a great place to start.  If this blend works for you with a particular recipe, leave a comment with a link below so others can try it, too!

Update: I used this blend instead of all-purpose flour in this blondie recipe from Smitten Kitchen with great results!  I also used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly.

Figs & Pancetta

This simple appetizer is an amazing way to showcase some delicious figs.  I'd been wanting to wrap figs in prosciutto for a while now, but accidentally got slices of pancetta instead.  I think in my mind I'd filed them as being the same thing.  I did a little research and it seems like pancetta is thicker and less pliable, and cured with more spices than prosciutto.  You can use either one here--prosciutto would probably be easier to wrap around the figs, and you might not even need the toothpicks.

Make Your Own Almond Milk

Do you drink coffee?  How do you take yours?  Have you ever had to switch the way you make your morning coffee?

Cherry (Chocolate) Almond No-Churn Ice Cream

I am SO excited about this post.  This ice cream is ridiculously good, ridiculously healthy, and ridiculously simple, and I have made it three times since I invented it two days ago.  There are five ingredients, and you don't need an ice cream maker.  There are also NO sweeteners.  This is the stuff dreams are made of.  Well, my kind-of cheating whole30 dreams, at least.

Apricot Vanilla Cookies (Paleo, Gluten-free, No Sugar Added)

Yesterday I really wanted something sweet.  I've had good success so far making paleo treats sweetened with honey, but you're not allowed to have honey during the Whole30.  I thought there was nothing I could do to satisfy my sweet tooth, but then I remembered reading some of the fine print down at the bottom of the Whole30 site, where it said that fruit juice could be used as a sweetener.  At the time, I hadn't been able to imagine how fruit juice could make an adequate sweetener.  But, in my time of desperate sweets craving, I started to think maybe I could do something with this.

These cookies are sweetened with apple juice and dried apricots.  They don't taste like apple, but they do have a nice apricot flavor and a fun subtle orange hue.  They are, not surprisingly, not very sweet.  I won't judge you if you want to add a couple of tablespoons of honey.  If you do, you might want to add a little more almond flour as well (or less apple juice) so the batter won't be too wet.

If you like a moist, rich cookie that's guilt-free, these are for you.  The vanilla bean seeds, butter, and almond flour provide lots of great flavor and texture to make up for the cookies not being overly sweet.  And, with only five ingredients plus salt, these cookies couldn't be easier to make!  However, I'm not going to lie to you: they are not crispy at all.  I haven't figured out how to make gluten-free cookies crispy.  If you have the secret, please share it!  If you're looking for a sweeter cookie, check out the "You might also like" section at the end of this post.

Ingredients (makes about 15 cookies):

1/2 cup dried apricots, soaked in warm water for 10-20 minutes
1/2 cup apple juice
1 cup almond flour
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drain the dried apricots and place them in a food processor with the apple juice.  Process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until the mixture has a jam-like texture with very small pieces of apricot.

Add the almond flour, butter, and salt, and scrape in the vanilla bean seeds.  Process until well combined.  Spoon tablespoon sized balls of batter onto the prepared sheet and flatten them slightly (cookies will not spread as they bake).  Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.  Cool for a few minutes on the sheet, then carefully transfer to a rack to cool completely.

You might also like:

Chewy Chocolate Almond Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Honey Vanilla Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies (paleo, gluten-free)

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