Whole Wheat Crepes

I went out for crepes twice in the last two weeks.  They're a treat for me, they remind me of the semester I lived abroad in France and all the other trips I made there with family as well as for school.  I don't own a crepe maker, nor will I ever, because they're expensive little suckers.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered you can make crepes in just a regular ol' pan (non-stick, preferably).

I came across this recipe a while ago and immediately liked it above the rest because 1. it uses whole wheat flour instead of white, and 2. it looked very easy.  I made some modifications from the original recipe to make it as South Beach friendly as possible.  I haven't tried the original version.  This modified version isn't exactly like what you'd find on the streets of Paris, but it is very good and will do when the craving hits.

The original recipe says to use a 7" skillet; I only have a 6" one and a 9" one.  The 6" pan was perfect for the Nutella-banana dessert crepes, but way too small for a ham and cheese dinner crepe, so I used the 9" pan for those. 

Tonight's dinner featured ham and cheddar crepes (with a pile of kale chips on the side), followed by Nutella-banana rolls.  And in case you were wondering, no, Nutella is not an SBD-approved item.  But it's so good.  ;-)

Note: cooking times are very approximate.  You'll need to experiment to see what works with your particular stove set-up and heat source.  After you make a couple, you'll get the hang of how long you'll need to cook them on each side.

Whole Wheat Crepes
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup EggBeaters
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (Optional for making dessert crepes.  Omit for savory crepes.) 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (Optional for making dessert crepes.  Omit for savory crepes.)
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• Your favorite filling ingredients (diced ham with shredded swiss or cheddar, leftover shredded rotisserie chicken with small chunks of brie, Nutella and banana, sliced strawberries, etc.)

Directions:

• With an electric blender, blend the EggBeaters, milk, Smart Balance, salt and optional sugar and vanilla for 15 seconds.
• Sprinkle in the flour and blend for 30 seconds until smooth.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate from 1 to 4 hours.
• When you're ready to make the crepes, place your non-stick pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds, until a light sprinkle of water on it sizzles.
• Stir the batter well.  Pour 2 tablespoonfuls of the batter into the heated skillet and quickly swirl it around so the batter evenly coats the bottom.
• Cook for about 1 minute until the crepe edges are golden brown and separate easily from the pan.
• Flip it over (with your fingers or a spatula) and cook for another 30 seconds.
• While it's cooking on the second side, quickly sprinkle your favorite filling ingredients over half of the crepe.  When it's done cooking after 30 seconds, fold the crepe in half over your filling.
• Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

If you're not eating by yourself and want to be able to sit down and enjoy the meal with others, I recommend transferring each crepe as you make it onto a baking sheet and keeping them warm in a low-heat oven.  Once you've completed the batch, you can plate the warm crepes and serve them all at once.

Bon appetit!