Freshly Dafna

winter

Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes (paleo & vegan-possible)

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December has arrived! Cue the gingerbread and peppermint flavored treats! Starting off the gingerbread season with a fluffy stack of Gingerbread Pancakes. These are light and fluffy pancakes spiked with all the requisite spices to achieve the perfect gingerbread flavor: lots of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It’s a perfectly spiced, seasonally-appropriate, healthified pancake stack to head into the holiday season and make those mornings extra cozy and festive.
What Do These Gingerbread Pancakes Taste Like?

These pancakes are thick but still light and fluffy, the ideal pancake texture. They are soft, a little dense, perfectly chewy, and have just the right amount of moisture to welcome a healthy drizzle of maple syrup but are just fine on their own. Lightly sweetened with coconut sugar and spiked with all the warming spices typical in a classic gingerbread recipe. It’s like a stack of gingerbread cookies in pancake form!

How Are These Gingerbread Pancakes Made?

These pancakes are SO easy to make! I like to mix up the batter in my Pyrex measuring cup and pour them directly into the hot pan, so minimal dishes are used to prep and make these! Here’s a rundown of the steps:

  1. Mix dairy-free milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice and let sit for 3 minutes. This makes the pancakes super fluffy and reminiscent of buttermilk pancakes.
  2. Whisk in the egg or your favorite vegan egg-replacement like a flax egg or premade egg substitute.
  3. Stir in the dry ingredients and gently mix until fully combined.
  4. Heat the pan over medium heat with a little oil if your pan requires it.
  5. Pour batter into the pan. I find that 1/4 cup batter makes the perfect sized pancake. This recipe makes exactly five 1/4 cup pancakes. But make any size you like!
  6. Let cook for 2-3 minutes and flip to cook other side.
  7. Repeat with all batter.
  8. Top with your favorite toppings and/or maple syrup.
  9. Enjoy!

Some topping ideas: A tart winter fruit like cranberry, pomegranate, or maybe some orange slices. Whipped cream or vanilla yogurt. Crunchy bits like pistachios, pecans, or sunflower seeds!

What Ingredients Are Used?

These pancakes are made better-for-you as they contain no refined sugars, flours, or oils. They are also paleo-friendly meaning they are free from gluten, grain, and dairy. Plus, they are easily made vegan by replacing the egg with your favorite vegan-friendly egg replacement. Here’s a look at the ingredients you will need to make these:

  • Nut/Seed Milk – Use any milk you like! I always use whatever homemade nut/seed milk I have on-hand. To see how to make your own dairy free milk, check out this post here!
  • Lemon Juice – Helps the pancakes fluff and create a buttermilk-like effect without the use of dairy.
  • Egg – Gives these pancakes some fluff! Easily substituted for your favorite vegan-friendly replacement.
  • Almond Flour – The base of the pancakes and makes them gluten and grain free! The almond flour gives them a deliciously dense and chewy texture.
  • Tapioca Flour – Tapioca flour helps thicken the batter and gives them crispy crusts.
  • Coconut Flour – There is only 1 tbsp of coconut flour and not really detectable in the flavor, but gives the pancakes some extra body.
  • Baking Soda & Baking Powder – To give even more fluff to the pancakes.
  • Spices & Salt – All the classic gingerbread spices that you probably already have in your pantry: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg!

These Gingerbread Pancakes are gluten, grain, and dairy free, but really taste delicious, are oh-so-fluffy and the perfect festive breakfast to ring in the holiday season! This recipe makes about 4-5 pancakes, which, if you’re asking me really serves one person for a hearty breakfast. Two people if you’re keeping things light or having it with other dishes. This recipe is easy to double, or triple (!), if you’re feeding a crowd! This is perfect for leisurely weekend mornings but the recipe is so easy you could easily whip them up on a busy weekday!

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened, vegan, oil free

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If you made this recipe, please spread the love by leaving a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see and share your creation! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna in your feed or stories and I will share on my account!

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Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes

Thick and fluffy pancakes spiked with all the classic gingerbread spices. These healthier pancakes are incredibly delicious and made with a few simple ingredients. Made in just one bowl! The perfect festive breakfast to celebrate the holiday season.

paleo (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free, vegan option

Course Breakfast

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup milk of choice
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 egg (or sub flax egg/egg replacer if vegan)
  • 3/4 cup almond flour (95 grams)
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour (30 grams)
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar (16 grams)
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour (8 grams)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • dash sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, or preferably in a 2 cup measuring cup with a spout, mix together the milk and lemon juice. Let sit for 2 minutes. The mixture will look broken, this creates the "buttermilk".

  2. Next whisk in the egg or egg substitute until it's well mixed and frothy.

  3. Then add all the remaining dry ingredients to the wet and stir until batter is just uniform and evenly distributed.

  4. Heat coconut oil, butter, or ghee in a large pan/skillet over a heat that's just over medium flame.

  5. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the heated pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.

  6. Repeat with remaining batter.

  7. Enjoy with your favorite toppings and/or maple syrup!!!

Recipe Notes

Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): pyrex measuring cup, small syrup pitcher, silicone spatula, kitchen scale

Nut/Seed Milk: I always use homemade almond milk for this recipe. Choose your favorite milk for these pancakes! To see my recipe for homemade nut milk see this post.

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Best Ever Lentil Soup (vegan)

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Although we’re well on our way into spring and bordering the end of soup season, this soup is the big bowl of comfort that I think we all need right now. It’s a pantry driven, plant based soup that is perfect for a chilly spring night, very easy to make, and always just hits the spot. And this soup is so suitable for these days when the market may be more out of reach and we’re looking to make use of ingredients we already have at home.

I hesitated when naming this soup, always weary of titles like “best ever” or “ultimate” but this recipe is one that has transcended a few generations from my mother’s side. It really is the only good thing that my mom is able to cook and one we always loved and enjoyed eating as kids. So much so, that when I would come home from school, she would make me a big batch and freeze it so I could enjoy a cozy home cooked meal from afar. I have refined this recipe over the years and it always feels like a big bowl of love. It’s the soup I make when my husband is sick and needs something comforting and nourishing. And so I feel confident that if you make this soup, it will not disappoint. This soup is vegan, and when paired with a side of rice, it’s a perfect protein!

vegan, plant based, gluten free

If you make this, I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Best Ever Lentil Soup (vegan)

I simple and comforting soup that always hits the spot and perfect for using up pantry ingredients!

gluen free, vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes canned or fresh
  • 1 large carrot or 2 medium
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. Prepare the vegetables by dicing the onion, shredding the carrot, and thinly slicing the celery. You can use a food processor to save some time chopping.

  2. In a soup pot heat the oil over medium high. Once hot, add the onions and celery and stir together until onions are just becoming soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook, stirring often for another 4-5 minutes or until all the veggies are soft.

  3. Add the spices (except the bay leaves) and stir into the vegetables until everything is evenly distributed.

  4. Add the lentils, diced tomatoes, the bay leaves and 4 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Then cover and reduce to a simmer.

  5. Let the lentils simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft. Taste and add any additional seasoning per your preference.

  6. Serve hot, as is or with a helping of your favorite rice. Top with some fresh herbs, a dollop of yogurt, or a squeeze of lemon juice.

  7. This is very freezer friendly! Let cool completely and store in a freezer safe container. When reheating add a bit more water to the pot and cook until it is your desired thickness.

 

 

Pear Crumb Cake (paleo)

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Celebrating seasonal winter fruit with this Pear Crumb Cake! If you know me, or follow me on IG (which, if you do, thank you!) you’ll know that I am fairly obsessed with produce. There are a mere few fruits or veggies that I do not love or find beautiful. And while I am not the biggest fan of winter (cold weather, short days, bulky clothes), I do really enjoy winter produce. And while I can pick a juicy grapefruit or a sweet apple from a mile away, there’s something about selecting a perfectly ripe, juicy not mushy pear that’s always been very allusive. Every pear I ever select is always a huge grainy disappointment.

BUT I recently discovered, that if you bake a pear, well, you just can’t lose. Because picking a good firm pear is easy. And then baking that pear into a moist cake with all the warm cozy spices is just a winning situation. The cake is paleo-friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free) and just the right texture to be a satisfying breakfast, which doesn’t feel over indulgent at the beginning of the day. And we can’t forget the crumb topping, which, if you ask me, is always a welcome addition to any cake. I used two small-ish red pears but chose any that look good to you, try to select firmer ones that will hold up to a hot oven.  This is one of my favorite cake recipes to date and was huge hit with all my friends and family. And if they don’t get devoured in one day, they freeze wonderfully!

paleo (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened

If you make this, I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Paleo Pear Crumb Cake

This pear speckled cake is the perfect way to celebrate a delicious winter fruit! It's a moist but light cake flavored with all the warm cozy spices and crowned with a delicious crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast or alongside your afternoon coffee!

paleo (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

  • Streusel Topping
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 4-5 tbsp coconut oil or butter

Cake Ingredients

Wet

  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup coconut yogurt
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup coconut oil melted & cooled
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Dry

  • 1 ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup tapioca flour
  • 3 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 small or 1 ½ medium pears cut into 1 in chunks (any firm variety will do)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 360 degrees and prepare square baking pan (8 or 9 in square) by greasing or lining with parchment paper.
  2. Make the streusel topping by mixing together all the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then add 4 tbsp coconut oil and mash together with a fork, breaking up any larger chunks with your fingers, until texture looks like wet sand and sticks when pressed together. Adding an additional tbsp of oil if mixture is still too dry. Set aside

  3. Make the cake by mixing wet ingredients together by hand or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

  4. Add all the dry ingredients (except the pears) and mix until just well incorporated.
  5. Then using a rubber spatula or spoon, fold the pears into the batter

  6. Spread out the batter into the prepared pan and spread out into one even layer.

  7. Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the batter.

  8. Bake for 42-45 minutes using a toothpick to test for doneness.
  9. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes before slicing or removing from the pan.

Recipe Notes

These freeze brilliantly! Cut into desired slices and store in airtight container.

Whole Foods CopyCat Chicken Tortilla Soup (gluten free, dairy free)

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We don’t eat out too often. Unless it’s some kind of celebratory dinner, or sushi. I find that we’re both usually more satisfied with our simple home cooked meals than *most* things we eat when dining at a restaurant. Unless it’s sushi. Yes, I love sushi and I want it always.

The rare occasions in which we do pick up food, it’s usually a trip to the Whole Foods prepared foods section. I’ll always opt for an overloaded, overpriced, but extremely delicious salad and my husband will get their chicken tortilla soup and some other veggie forward side dishes. And let me tell you, the husbs always swoons EVERY time he sinks his spoon from the soup bowl to his mouth. And being the jealous type, and seeing that this immense happiness is not coming from something that I personally made for him, I set out recreate it. After a minor interrogation and several attempts over the course of a year I have finally received his approval that this recipe is as good if not slightly better than the WF inspired recipe. It has nearly identical ingredients to the Whole Foods original, but I use avocado oil instead of canola. Which is definitely a healthier oil option.

Please enjoy!


If you make this recipe I’d love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you’re posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

 

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

gluten free, dairy free

This soup, inspired by one from Whole Food’s soup bar, is sure to warm any cold bones. It’s packed with flavorful veggies, warming spices, and shredded chicken. It’s super easy to make and will definitely be a winner with all your chicken soup lovers. 

Ingredients

  • 2-3 chicken breasts (bonesless, skinless) about 1 lb
  • 4 tbsp avocado oil divided
  • 4 tsp cumin divided
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika divided
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper divided
  • 2 tsp salt divided
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 carrots shredded
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 2 tsp garlic chopped
  • 1 tomato, medium diced
  • 1 box chicken broth (4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup masa harina

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375

  2. Place chicken chicken breast in a bowl with 2 tbsp avocado oil, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp salt. Massage the chicken with the oil and spices until everything is well coated. 

  3. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for about 25 mins or until chicken is done, let cool. 

  4. While chicken is cooling, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of avocado oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and green bell pepper to the pot and let cook, stirring often, until everything begins to wilt, about 5 mins. 

  5. Then add the garlic, stirring often, and let cook about 2 more minutes.

  6. Meanwhile, shred the chicken using either your hands or a knife. 

  7. Add diced tomatoes, shredded chicken, remaining spices and salt to the soup pot and stir everything together. Let cook for 2 more minutes. 

  8. Add the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil.

  9. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. 

  10. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix 1 cup water with the masa harina and stir well. Stir well until the masa mixture is clump-free and thin. 

  11. Add to the soup and stir well. Let soup simmer 30 more minutes. Taste for seasoning adding more salt if necessary. 

  12. Serve with avocado, cilantro, creme fraiche, and/or some tortilla chips! 

Recipe Notes

* This soup will thicken if put in the fridge (because of the masa harina) just add some more water to the soup when reheating. 

Orange Chocolate Chunk Muffins (paleo)

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I’m going to skip any preamble sharing any thoughts or musings and get straight down the business. These Orange Chocolate Chunk Muffins seemingly disappeared from our toaster oven (where I store fresh baked goods out of reach from our dog) within an hour. They were devoured and declared delicious. My guy asked me on three separate occasions if they were actually gluten-free. And that guy likes, no… sorry. That guy, LOVES his gluten. So for him to even consider that something so tasty was in fact glutenless is a big win and is undeniable proof that these are definitely worth making.

Not only are these muffins most definitely gluten-free, they are also grain free, dairy free, and naturally sweetened. Perfect for winter time with the abundance of fresh citrus. They are super moist and just the right amount of sweet. The orange flavor from the zest really pops and is complemented with the classic twist of chocolate. I used freshly squeezed orange juice which I highly recommend, but store bought would work just fine too. For the chocolate chunks I chopped up my favorite brand of chocolate’s super dark chocolate (90%) to reduce the overall amount of sugar.  Any chocolate chip or chopped up chocolate bar will do.

paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, naturally sweetened

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Paleo Orange Chocolate Chunk Muffins

paleo, gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened

These muffins are the perfect healthy anytime treat. They have only good for you ingredients with just the right amount of sweetness. It's the classic combination of orange and chocolate in a muffin!

freshlydafna.com

Ingredients

Muffin Batter

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chunks

Streusel Topping

  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • dash sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree and line muffin tin with liners or grease well.

  2. In a large bowl mix together the almond flour, salt, and baking powder

  3. In another bowl whisk together all the wet ingredients (everything else except the chocolate chunks)

  4. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just fully incorporated. 

  5. Then gently fold in the chocolate chunks and pour the batter into the muffin liners/tin.

  6. Make the streusel: Mix together the coconut flour and coconut sugar. Then using a fork mix together the coconut oil, chocolate chunks and sea salt until a crumbly mixtures is made. 

  7. Top the muffins with the streusel topping and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Recipe Notes

These freeze very well!

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna