Mangoes…or is it Mangos? Either way, I think one of my favorite parts of early summer is all the mango everywhere down here in south florida. My number 1 favorite thing about summer though has gotta be the lighter traffic. I’m sorry mangoes but 30 minutes less of my commute each day is something that you just can’t buy.
Anyways, you are probably here to read about food and not Miami traffic, so back to the mangoes. I love experimenting with different ways to use them, and since they are plentiful this time of year, if I mess up and make something weird I can totally start over and try again. Topping fish with a fresh mango avocado salsa or adding some mango to rice like in the Coconut Mango Rice from my last post really just adds a summery freshness to things.
So I have been wanting to make mango muffins for awhile. I didn’t want them to be super sweet though, so I could eat them for breakfast without getting a tummy ache… and they needed to be gluten free so I can eat them, cause watching other people eat food that you made but can’t enjoy is just silly. I have had a lot of success with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour, and like that it has some bean flours in it for extra fiber and nutrients, so I went with that and just 1/4 cup of honey and they turned out great!
After I was done perfecting my gluten free mango muffins, I also wanted to try making the batter into a mango bread. But when I went to make the bread I realized that someone (Baby V) had been extra hungry and was eating two eggs at breakfast that week instead of her normal one and I did not have any eggs left. Luckily I remembered I had bought some ground flaxseeds to help get someone to poop (Baby V, again) and so I was able to substitute them in for the eggs. I then decided I mine as well go full vegan and I subbed out the honey for maple syrup to make a vegan gluten free mango bread!. So here is my recipe for the gluten free mango muffins, if prefer to make them vegan, or into a bread, substitutions/modifications are listed right below the recipe!
Gluten Free Mango Muffins
Ingredients
Cooking Spray
2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Fresh Mangoes – Cubed (~2 Cups)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/4 Cup Honey
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Spray 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray
3. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a large mixing bowl
4. Puree mangoes in a blender
5. Add mangoes to dry ingredients in mixing bowl along with vanilla, eggs, oil, and honey
6. Mix well and pour into muffin tin
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until muffins appear lightly golden brown on top
8. Allow to cool slightly and serve
9. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or pop it in the freezer for a rainy day
*To make vegan simply sub out the honey for maple syrup and use “flax eggs” in place of eggs. To make 2 “flax eggs” mix 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds in 6 tablespoons of water. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes to gelatinize before stirring into dry ingredients.
**To make into bread simply pour batter into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Adjust cooking time to approximately 40 minutes.
Still have more mangos you need to use? Try my Gluten Free Mango Squares… they freeze really well too so you can keep a stash in your freezer for when you need a little summer during the winter.
Who wants to have their cake and eat it too? Definitely me. I have a big sweet tooth and love love love cookies, brownies, cake, chocolate…basically any dessert. I will eat it. And that’s ok. I don’t say no to something if I really want it, except of course if it is something that I know will wreak havoc on my intestines. And even in that case I just find something comparable that I can eat and enjoy. So when I realized easter was coming up and I was craving carrot cake, I wanted to make my own version that was gluten free, not super sweet, and full of those carrot cake spices. So I made these healthy carrot cake muffins for myself, and I guess my husband too, but mostly myself.
When I first made these healthy carrot cake muffins, I made a version that was a little higher in sugar (1/2 cup maple syrup instead of a 1/4 cup). It was good, but a little too sweet for a muffin, it reminded me more of a cupcake. And while I don’t really give my 15 month old daughter things with added sugar very often, I did put a few pieces of the muffin on her plate towards the end of dinner. I expected her to gobble it all down immediately but she didn’t. She had a few bites and then actually left some on her plate. While she did eat some of it, and enjoy it (she indicated this by making “mmmm” sounds), she listened to her body and stopped when she was full. I feel like that is a great lesson for us all!
So how can you stop eating more than what you need? You are likely not a baby if you are reading this post (If you are, congratulations on reading so early!), so you might feel like you have lost some of your ability to self regulate. Most of us preserve this function until about 2 years old but after that, external instead of internal cues can be more influential if we are not careful. I’m sure many of you were told growing up that you needed to “clean your plate,” and that there were “starving children” somewhere, and you were being wasteful. It was a different time then, and we know so much more now how these practices undermine our ability to self regulate. One thing I like to do is to take smaller portion sizes. If I am hungry I allow myself to get more, but it gives me time to pause and ask myself “am I still hungry?” or “do I really want more?” instead of just mindlessly eating everything off my heaping plate.
Anyways…lets get to those healthy carrot cake muffins. In order to turn a carrot cake with a limited amount of nutrients, into something healthier that is absolutely still delicious, I changed up a few ingredients and made it into muffins for easier portion control. Instead of all-purpose flour (very little nutrients) I went with an almond flour. Never tried baking with almond flour before? It’s amazing. It is basically ground up almonds so you are getting healthy fats, protein, fiber plus other vitamins and minerals. It is really light and fluffy and…I just love the almond flavor. Because the almond flour contains fat in it, I don’t usually see the need to add any extra oil. So instead, I used some applesauce to give it some natural sweetness so I can cut back on the maple syrup.
Oh and if you do want more of a cupcake then a muffin, just follow the recipe below but increase the maple syrup to 1/2 cup.
Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
2 Cups Almond Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Finely Shredded Carrots (about 3 carrots)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 muffin-muffin tin with cooking spray. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium size bowl lightly beat eggs, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients slowly into flour mixture until consistent throughout. Fold in carrots. Fill muffin tin with batter evenly, about 1/2 to 3/4 way. Place in preheated oven and cook for 18-20 min or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use a knife or fork to loosen edges of muffins and remove from tin. Serve or keep in an airtight container until ready to eat.
Hi, my name is Caryn, and I am a registered dietitian nutritionist in Miami, Florida. I was born and raised in Ohio and have 2 girls under the age of 5. I am a busy working mom who used to have an hour long commute to work, so I know how hard keeping up with healthy habits can be. I am a lazy cook, so I hate overly complicated recipes and doing dishes. Just toss everything in one pot....right?
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