Crepes remind me of lazy weekend brunches sitting on the deck outside in the morning sun. But crepes aren’t just weekend breakfast food. Usually with fruit filling (see recipe), sometimes with creamy salmon filling (see recipe).
Need grab-and-go? Make extra and freeze between sheets of parchment paper; thaw for lunch roll-ups, weekday breakfasts any time you need a quick, fast and filling meal. The crepe toppings and fillings are endless and can be made ahead as well.
About those eggs. If they come from chickens that are allowed to run around and freely eat (a.k.a. free range), eggs are a great source of high quality protein, vitamins A & D, are high in choline (reduces inflammation) and key minerals like calcium. Plus, the myth that eating eggs (or any cholesterol-containing foods) could raise unhealthy blood cholesterol was busted years ago. Eating even 28 eggs per week had no impact on cholesterol. Eating grains, especially refined grains, quickly elevates unhealthy cholesterol.
Simple Crepe Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 eggs
4 tablespoons arrowroot flour or 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
4 tablespoons water
For cooking: coconut oil or pasture butter (Kerrygold, or Anchor, or… will say “Pastured cows”—has a healthy fat profile unlike grain-fed, even organic cows)
Special equipment: an 8” fry pan or griddle
Preparation
- Whisk together egg, flour and water; set aside.
- Heat a small amount of pasture butter or coconut oil in a griddle or fry pan over medium high heat.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan, swirling or spreading to a thin crepe. Cook until edges come up easily from side of pan; about two minutes.
- Flip over and cook for an additional two minutes.
- Transfer to individual plates, add filling, roll up and serve.
Strawberry Jam Filling
Ingredients
1 lb strawberries or other fruit, frozen or fresh
1 teaspoon raw honey
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
Preparation
- Combine the fruit and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until fruit starts breaking down and liquefies. Break up with a fork or spatula until it’s the texture of chunky jam.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chia seeds. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set the saucepan aside to cool. The jam will thicken considerably as it cools.
Creamy Salmon Filling
Ingredients
1 pound fresh salmon filet
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, diced
3 green onions, diced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
1 – 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (1 tablespoon if your milk is thick. 2 tablespoons if it is thin)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (note: this gives a “cheesy” flavor. Do avoid the “fortified” versions. Synthetic B-vitamins are made from coal tar.)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Unprocessed salt and pepper
Garnish with 2 tablespoons green onions, handful parsley
Preparation
- Place the salmon fillets skin-down in a large skillet with 1/4 inch filtered water. Cover and bring to a boil. Then turn down to very low to allow salmon to steam gently for about 4 minutes. Add a bit more water if it boils dry. Then remove from heat. Remove skin and cut into bite-size pieces no larger than 1/2 inch and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together all remaining ingredients except the garnish. Place over low heat and bring almost to a boil while stirring constantly. Remove when the arrowroot has thickened the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the salmon and stir gently.
- Put a few tablespoons of creamed salmon at one side of a crepe. Roll it gently and then top with additional sauce and garnish to serve.
Enjoy!
Virtanen JK, Mursu J, Virtanen HEK, Fogelholm M, Salonen JT, Koskinen TT, Voutilainen S, and Tuomainen TP (2016) Associations of egg and cholesterol intakes with carotid intima-media thickness and risk of incident coronary artery disease according to apolipoprotein E phenotype in men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 103:895–901.
Copyright © 2017 Marie Sternquist Cecchini. All Rights Reserved
