7 Delicious (Not To Mention Gorgeous) Recipes That'll Make You Ditch Refined Carbs For Good (2024)

You know that refined carbs are dietary evil, spiking your blood sugar and leaving you hungry and moody in the process. So why can't you shake them? Sure, they taste great, but maybe the real reason refined bread and pasta remain in your diet is that you don't know how to get by without them.

But saying peace out to pasta is easier than you think. Enter Cut the Carbs! by Tori Haschka, a cookbook focused on eliminating the carbs your body doesn't need by making smart, delicious swaps. Think almond flour instead of refined flour, cauliflower instead of white rice, and baked apples instead of ultra sugary desserts.

Here are 7 of our favorite recipes that maximize nutrition and keep refined carbs under control.

SERVINGS: 2 to 3 (makes 10 to 12 pancakes)

1 c milk
1 c ground flaxseed
½ c ground almonds
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp butter
1 c blueberries
Cinnamon, for serving
Yogurt, for serving
Slivered toasted almonds, for serving
Sliced banana, for serving

1.MIX together the milk, flaxseed, almonds, vegetable oil, and egg yolks in a bowl.
2.ADD the salt and egg whites and whisk until you get soft peaks in a separate bowl. Fold them into the batter in 2 stages, trying to keep as much air in as possible.
3.HEAT a nonstick skillet or pancake pan over medium–high heat and swipe with the butter. Dollop in 3 tablespoons of the batter and scatter 1 tablespoon of the blueberries over the top. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until you can lift the bottom of the pancake and it's brown.
4.USE a large spatula to gently flip the pancake over, then cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Keep warm in a low oven while you make the remaining pancakes.
5.SERVE pancakes with the cinnamon, yogurt, slivered almonds, more blueberries, or slices of banana, if you like.

NUTRITION (per serving) 408 cal, 19 g pro, 27 g carb, 14 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 26 g fat, 5 g sat fat, 300 mg sodium

SERVINGS:2 to 3

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 sweet red apple, peeled, cored, and diced
7 oz (6 stems) tenderstem broccoli/broccolini, diced—including stems (or substitute with ½ head of broccoli)
1 zucchini, diced
2 c frozen peas
3 handfuls of kale, finely chopped
2 c hot vegetable or chicken stock
Sea salt
2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Chorizo crumble, optional:
1¾ oz chorizo, crumbled by hand into small pieces
1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp smoked paprika, if needed
2 Tbsp slivered almonds

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1.HEAT the olive oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2.ADD the apple and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté for 2 to 4 minutes until it begins to soften.
3. ADD the zucchini, peas, and kale and sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring so the peas defrost and the kale wilts.
4.POUR the hot stock into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Cover the pan with the lid and simmer until the apple and broccoli are soft.
5.USING a stick blender, food processor, or blender, blend the contents of the pan until smooth. Taste and season with salt if needed.
6.TO MAKE THE OPTIONAL CHORIZO CRUMBLE:Fry the chorizo in a skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through and has leached crimson oil into the pan. If there is none, then add the olive oil and smoked paprika. Add the slivered almonds and cook until the almonds have been toasted in the oil.
7.SERVE the soup with the chorizo crumble and parsley scattered over the top.

NUTRITION (per serving) 255 cal, 14 g pro, 37 g carb, 9 g fiber, 15 g sugars, 8 g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 375 mg sodium

SERVINGS: 2 to 3

1 lg sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1¾ oz chorizo, cut into thin coins and then in half
1 handful dried coconut shavings
1 red onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1 14 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 handful fresh cilantro (or mint)
1 red chili, thinly sliced
Greek yogurt, to drizzle (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.PREHEAT the oven to 350˚F.
2.PLACE sweet potato in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges. Then add the chorizo, coconut shavings, and most of the onion (leave ⅛ aside to sliver raw at the end). Roast for an additional 20 minutes.
3.REMOVEthe tray from the oven and mix in the black beans when the potato is cooked through and the onion has been stained slightly pink from the chorizo's oil. The heat from the roasting tray and its contents will help warm the beans.
4.CUT the remaining onion pieces into slivers as thin you can manage. Add the onion slivers, cilantro, and chili to the roasting tray.
5.SEASON with salt and pepper, and drizzle Greek yogurt over the top before serving.

NUTRITION (per serving) 388 cal, 12 g pro, 34 g carb, 8 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 22 g fat, 9 g sat fat, 647 mg sodium

SERVINGS:4 to 6

½ c currants
½ c strong, hot Earl Grey tea
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lg head of cauliflower, grated on a box grater into small fragments like chubby couscous grains (1 head should provide approximately 4 cups)
Pinch of sea salt
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
½ c slivered almonds, toasted and chopped
1 sm bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 sm bunch of fresh mint, chopped

For the tahini-yogurt dressing:
1 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
⅔ c Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp olive oil
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

1. SOAK the currants in the Earl Grey tea for 10 to 15 minutes until they have plumped up.In the meantime, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, cauliflower grains, and salt. Sauté for 5 minutes to help remove the raw taste from the cauliflower.
2.TRANSFER the contents of the pan to a bowl with the lemon zest and juice, almonds, fresh herbs, and plumped, drained currants. Stir to combine.
3. TO MAKE THE TAHINI-YOGURT DRESSING:Mix all the ingredients together to combine.
4. SERVEthe "couscous" with the tahini-yogurt dressing on the side, or underneath a tagine.

NUTRITION (per serving) 214 cal, 8 g pro, 20 g carb, 5 g fiber, 12 g sugars, 13.5 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 86 mg sodium

SERVINGS:2

2 to 3 med zucchini
2 fillets of skinless sea bass or other white-fleshed fish, about 3½ oz each
1 lemon, halved
1 Tbsp olive oil
Handful of slivered almonds, toasted
Sea salt

Parsley and tarragon salsa verde:
1 sm handful of fresh tarragon leaves
1 lg handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ c olive oil
½ garlic clove, peeled and grated
2 marinated anchovy fillets in oil, drained
1 tsp capers, drained
Juice of ½ lemon

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1. SHREDthe zucchini lengthwise into ribbons using a vegetable peeler or mandoline.
2.PAT the fish fillets dry with paper towels.
3.TAKE a piece of parchment paper and lay out 12 overlapping ribbons of zucchini side by side on the paper. Place a fish fillet horizontally across the zucchini ribbons and use the paper to help swaddle the fillet in the ribbons. Turn the fish seam-side down. Repeat with 12 more ribbons and the second fish fillet. Place the fillets in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
4. TO MAKE THE PARSLEY AND TARRAGON SALSA VERDE:Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor. Taste and season with salt and blend again until you're happy with the mixture.
5. COMBINEthe remaining zucchini ribbons with the salsa verde and divide between 2 plates.
6. TO COOK THE FISH:Place a large skillet over medium–high heat. You can test if the pan's surface is hot enough by placing the lemon halves, cut side down, in the pan. When it's ready, they should sizzle. Drizzle the olive oil in the hot pan, then add the fish fillets, seam-side down. Cook them for 3 to 5 minutes, until the ribbons have taken on some char. Gently flip them over, trying not to unravel the ribbons, and cook them for 2 minutes on the other side until the fish has cooked through.
7. SERVEthe pan-fried fish with the burnished lemon halves, dressed zucchini ribbons, and slivered almonds.

NUTRITION (per serving) 559 cal, 27 g pro, 16 g carb, 6 g fiber, 8 g sugars, 44 g fat, 6 g sat fat, 445 mg sodium

SERVINGS: 4

½ c chia seeds
1¾ c coconut milk
1 15 oz can of mango pieces, drained, or 2 medium mangos, peeled and seeded
1 15 oz can of lychees, drained
2 Tbsp macadamias, roughly chopped

1.WHISK the chia seeds and coconut milk.
2.USING a stick blender or food processor, blend ¾of the canned or fresh mango until you have a smooth purée.
3.SLICE the remaining mango into slivers and cut the lychees in half and set them aside.
4.SWIRL the mango purée through the chia-coconut mixture and divide half the mixture between 4 glasses.
5.ADD a layer of sliced mango and lychee halves. Top with the mango-chia-coconut mixture and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight to set.
6.TOP with the remaining sliced mango and lychee halves and the macadamias just before serving.

NUTRITION (per serving) 458 cal, 8 g pro, 45 g carb, 12 g fiber, 30 g sugars, 31 g fat, 20 g sat fat, 19 mg sodium

SERVINGS:6

6 sm red eating apples like Galas
8 slices (3¼ oz) of prosciutto, 6 cut in half lengthwise, 2 cut into thirds to create large postage-stamp squares
¼ c hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
¼ c almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
¾ c goat curd (or goat cheese)
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 pinch of unsprayed lavender leaves (optional)
1 drizzle of olive oil
1 c apple cider or apple juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of salad greens per person

1. PREHEAT the oven to 300˚F.
2.CUT the tops off the apples, about ½" below the stalk, then set the tops aside. Use an apple corer or a melon baller to remove the core of the apple and fashion a tunnel about as thick as a wine cork through the center. You want the walls of the remaining apple to be ½" thick. Discard the cores.
3.SCOREa shallow slit around the perimeter of each apple using a sharp knife, about ½" below the top (this will prevent the apples from bursting during baking).
4.TAKE one postage-stamp square of ham and shimmy it down to the bottom of the tunnel and let the corners snake up the sides—you want to create a "plug" for the filling so it doesn't fall out the bottom during baking.
5.COMBINE the chopped nuts with the goat curd, rosemary, and lavender. Add the olive oil and mash with a fork to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
6.DIVIDEthe filling into 6 portions and press each portion into the hollow in each apple, being careful not to push out the ham plug at the bottom.
7. WRAP 2 sheets of prosciutto around each apple. Use the fattiest parts of ham as glue to help it stick to the fruit. If it really won't stick, you can always use a toothpick to fasten it in place.
8.PUT the apples in a baking dish and drizzle the tops with a little olive oil. Pour the cider or apple juice into the baking dish and place the tops of the apples in there too.
9.COVER the dish with foil (try not to let the foil touch the filling) and bake 40 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the oven temperature up to 350˚F, and bake for another 20 minutes or until the apples are soft and the ham is crisp.
10.SERVE the apples warm with salad greens and a drizzle of the cooking juices from the bottom of the dish.

NUTRITION (per serving) 269 cal, 9 g pro, 30 g carb, 6 g fiber, 20 g sugars, 14 g fat, 3.5 g sat fat, 516 mg sodium