Authors: Giada De Laurentiis

Giada's Feel Good Food (38 page)

BOOK: Giada's Feel Good Food

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These are a tiny, sweet little pick-me-up. If we have leftovers, Jade knows this is the one cupcake she can eat for breakfast, too, making it a favorite in our house.
makes 32 mini muffins

Â½ cup almond flour

2 tablespoons brown rice flour

Â½ teaspoon baking powder

Â¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

â teaspoon fine sea salt

3 tablespoons safflower or grapeseed oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 large egg, at room temperature

Â¼ cup grated carrot

Â¼ cup grated zucchini

Â¼ cup raisins

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350Â°F. Line 12 mini muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, and egg. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Mix in the carrot, zucchini, and raisins.

Using 2 small spoons, fill the prepared muffin cups three-quarters full with the batter. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

per muffin:
Calories 68; Protein 1g; Carbohydrates 8g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Sugar 6g; Total Fat 4g; Saturated Fat 0g; Sodium 82mg

chocolate
cranberry treats

Brown rice cereal makes these taste like the crunchy, chewy, Rice Krispies treats I loved as a kid, except that these have the wonderful addition of chocolate! I use a Microplane zester to grate the chocolate. A couple of these as dessert at night and I go to bed happy.
makes about 36 cookies

1 cup honey

1 large egg, at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into Â½-inch pieces, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Â½ cup slivered almonds,
toasted
, coarsely chopped

3 cups crispy brown rice cereal, such as Nature's Path Crispy Rice

4 ounces dark chocolate, finely grated

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

In a 5-quart saucepan, whisk together the honey, egg, butter, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, whisking regularly, for 15 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, almonds, and rice cereal until combined. Let the mixture cool in the pan for 45 minutes.

Put the grated chocolate in a small bowl.

With slightly damp hands, firmly press the rice mixture together into 36 balls, each about 1 inch in diameter. Roll the cookies in the chocolate until coated and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or for up to 3 hours before serving.

per cookie:
Calories 102; Protein 1g; Carbohydrates 14g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Sugar 8g; Total Fat 5g; Saturated Fat 2g; Sodium 3mg

Strawberry and Blueberry (Ladybug) Pops

strawberry
and blueberry (ladybug) pops

These are red with dark blueberry spots that make them look like ladybugs. They are pure fruit with a little bit of honey to sweeten them. Fantastic on a hot day.
makes 22 pops

1 pound medium strawberries, hulled and quartered

Â¼ cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 large orange)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup blueberries

special equipment:
Popsicle sticks and 1 or 2 ice cube trays

In a blender, puree the strawberries, orange juice, lemon juice, and honey until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray, filling each cube three-quarters full. Push some blueberries into each ice cube cup. Freeze for 1 hour.

Insert a stick into each cup and freeze until firm, another 4 to 5 hours.

Twist the ice cube trays to remove the ice pops and serve.

per pop:
Calories 17; Protein 0g; Carbohydrates 4g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Sugar 4g; Total Fat 0g; Saturated Fat 0g; Sodium 1mg

chocolate
muffins

These are nice and moist and chocolaty and studded with chocolate chipsâjust like a good chocolate muffin should beâbut I don't have to feel guilty about eating these before bed. Applesauce replaces the usual butter and maple syrup replaces the white sugar.
makes 12 muffins

1 cup brown rice flour

Â½ cup almond flour

Â½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Â½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Â½ teaspoon baking soda

Â½ teaspoon baking powder

Â½ cup safflower or grapeseed oil

Â½ cup unsweetened applesauce

Â¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 (12-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ÂºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners. Bake until the tops of the muffins crack and a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 minutes. Unmold and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

per muffin:
Calories 331; Protein 5g; Carbohydrates 38g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Sugar 6g; Total Fat 20g; Saturated Fat 6g; Sodium 173mg

blueberry
banana muffins

I adore banana muffins. Which is good, because when you have a five-year-old in the house, you've got a lot of bananas! To use them up before they go bad, this is now my go- to recipe. Blueberries add a little tartness to the mix. I make these after dinner, serve them warm out of the oven (our favorite way to eat them), and then enjoy leftovers at breakfast.
makes 12 muffins

1 cup brown rice flour

Â½ teaspoon baking soda

Â½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Â¼ teaspoon baking powder

Â¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Â½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Â½ cup safflower or grapeseed oil

Â¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup mashed banana (about 3 small bananas)

1 cup fresh blueberries

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325ÂºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until blended. Stir in the bananas and blueberries. Add the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Spoon â cup of the batter into each muffin liner. Bake until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Unmold and cool completely on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

per muffin:
Calories 184; Protein 2g; Carbohydrates 21g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Sugar 9g; Total Fat 10g; Saturated Fat 1g; Sodium 156mg