Buckwheat Crepes (gluten free)
When I got home from New York on Sunday I was absolutely starving. There was no way I was about to spend upwards of 15 bucks on the airplane snack box of junk. Yummy hubby and the girls had finished the spinach quiche I left them and there was not much left in the fridge. So I wilted a few handfulls of baby spinach and threw it in a tortilla with one of the kids' cheddar cheese sticks and some slices of avocado and heated it all in a frying pan until the cheese melted and the tortilla was a little crisp. So not fancy. But surprisingly... SO good. So good, in fact, that I wanted to make it again the next day. I thought I should make it a little more interesting, however, and use crepes.
It was the perfect excuse to use the buckwheat flour I had in the pantry. Buckwheat flour is more nutritious than white flour and is gluten free. I have to admit, I prefer the white crepes and they're a little more kid-friendly, but these are mild and yummy too. You can use all all-purpose flour in this recipe if you prefer.
I love making crepes, I really do. They're just so pretty and delicate and make me want to jump on the next flight to Paris. Don't be intimidated - it may take a little practice, but by the second or third crepe, you'll have the technique down. I like to pour the batter into the hot pan and swirl the pan to coat, but also use a rubber spatula to spread the batter to the edges (because I'm just not that great at swirling).
The fun thing about crepes is that they're completely customizable - you can fill them however you please. I used my favorite ingredients: spinach, avocado, mushrooms, and a spread of herby goat cheese. My yummy little one had hers filled with leftover roasted broccoli and cheddar cheese.
Some filling ideas for your crepes:
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs, cheese, onion & pepper saute, potato, avocado + cheese
Peanut or almond butter, bananas, honey
Lunchbox:
Peanut butter and jam crepe rolled up and sliced
Lunch/Dinner:
Choose a cheese (chevre, mozzarella, brie, Swiss)
Choose a few vegetables to saute (spinach, mushroom, chopped zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper) or chopped tomato or sliced avocado
For the meatlovers (shredded cooked chicken, prosciutto, turkey, salmon, cooked shrimp)
Dessert:
Nutella
Nutella with strawberries or bananas
Lemon curd and berries
Whipped cream and berries
Buckwheat Crepes with Herb Chevre, Spinach, Mushrooms, and Avocado
Serves 4
for the buckwheat crepes:
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
cooking spray
for the filling:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1.5 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (or other favorite mushrooms!)
5 big handfulls baby spinach
1 large clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 large avocado, sliced
4 oz. herb chevre (such as Boursin), room temperature (or mix 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley, dill, and/or thyme into softened goat cheese)
For the crepes, in a medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, and butter until just combined. Whisk the salt and flours into the wet ingredients. Lightly coat a 9 or 10-inch non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the frying pan and immediately swirl the pan so that the batter covers the surface in one thin layer. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter if it's not going to the edges. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom has set and is starting to brown. Flip the crepe and continue to cook another minute. Remove from the pan and continue making crepes until all batter has been used up. If you have leftover crepes save for breakfast the next day!
For the filling, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until beginning to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach. It will look like a lot of spinach, but you will be amazed how much it cooks down. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes.
Spread a layer of chevre over one side of crepes. Place spinach mixture and a few avocado slices on one half and fold the other half over. If you love this cheese as much as I do you can crumble a bit more over the top.