Crepes

My husband wrote earlier that his friends say he eats like a girl. Crepes would probably be one of those meals.  It sounds like a fancy name however it's not much more than a flat pancake with yummy fillings.

After dinner my six-year old son gave it thumbs up.  He's not always been a hearty eater.  We've had more food battles than I care to talk about.  It looks like the parents are finally winning. {fingers crossed}

The first time I remember eating crepes was a few years ago at a friend's house.  She and her professional basketball player husband had lived in Switzerland for several years.  Because his salary was not like that of the NBA, they learned to eat frugally.

Crepes are not only frugal but they can also be very nutritious.  The best part for me?  Dinner can be on the table quick!

The batter is made with 3 ingredients: flour, milk, eggs.  I used mostly whole wheat flour and soaked it in a bit of kefir for a few hours (to break down the phytates).

Yield: 8 crepes, 9 inches in diameter
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs, from chickens on pasture

Heat griddle to medium-high heat, when it it hot {important detail} add a pat of butter then pour batter - evenly distributing it.  I've not tried it, but if you have a griddle (and not a cast iron skillet,) I'm sure it would work.

After 1-2 minutes the edges should be cooked enough to slip a spatula under; flip and cook the other side.  I stack finished crepes on top of each other on a dinner plate on the counter.

In a separate pot, melt bacon grease or butter and saute a clove or two of chopped garlic.

 I happened to have some shiitake mushrooms in the fridge so I chopped a few and added them to the garlic.

Add a pound of fresh spinach or any other greens then add the lid so the greens can steam and wilt.

The above looks like a huge amount of spinach but it wilts like a fair maiden at the beach.  Be generous with your fresh greens!

I suppose you could also use frozen spinach.  Be sure to squeeze out the water once it's thawed.

Back to the crepes.

Once you've made a stack, then put one back on your griddle and melt 1-2 slices of cheese.  We like the pairings of greens with swiss cheese.

When the cheese is slightly melted, add a bit of wilted spinach.

Then fold the crepe on itself and serve.

The recipe makes about 8 crepes.  My husband and I ate two, my son ate one (that's a total of 5).  The the three extra crepes we ate for dessert: rolled up and drizzled with maple syrup - and a generous dallop of whipped cream on the side.

-Julie

This recipe is posted to Real Food Wednesday with Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Pennywise Platter Thursday with the Nourishing Gourmet.