Sweet Banana Crepes – oil free with nut-free option

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These quick and easy egg and oil-free, whole-grain crepes are fun and delicious.  We often eat them for our supper meal or a Sunday morning breakfast.

 

For the strawberry crepes, we like to spread a vegan yogurt down the center of the crepes and lay overlapping banana slices on top of the yogurt; fold the crepes over and top with strawberry sauce; then hope you made enough crepes for several repeats until everyone is full.

 

 To assemble the blueberry crepes, lay a row of banana slices down the center of each crepe, roll up the crepe and top with thickened blueberries.  For an added special touch, top it all off with a little Yummy Pear Cream and serve for breakfast or a light supper meal.

 

The batter needs to be thinner than pancake batter, more like a thick cream; very pourable. If it is too thick it doesn’t pour or cook well, and if it is too thin the crepe will skip on the heated pan and leave spots without enough batter. A few tries will give you the understanding of just how thick it should be. As it stands it will continue to thicken and you may need to add a couple teaspoons of water and reblend.

Heat the pan really well while you are blending up the batter; do not add any oil. If you have an older pan and are concerned it might stick, just wipe the pan with a paper towel and 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Do not leave any oil showing in the pan.

When it is good and hot you can pour 1/4 cup batter onto the pan and roll it quickly in a circular motion so the batter spreads out to form a nice crepe. Cook approximately 60-90 seconds (until you see the edges drying up slightly and lots of little air holes throughout). Don’t flip too soon or they will break apart.

 

Using a very thin spatula, peek under the edge to make sure it is browning, then carefully flip it over and cook the under side for another minute or so. By lightly pressing your finger in the middle of the crepe you can tell if the center is too soft or firming up. Place on a large plate not directly on top of each other until they cool while you continue to make the rest of the crepes. They should become very pliable and easy to roll or fold.

 

 

 

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Sweet Banana Crepes – oil free with nut-free option

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes (shorter if using two pans)
Servings: 8 crepes (5-6 inches, 1/4 cup batter)
Ingredients:

1/4 cup raw cashews, 2 tbsp almond butter, or 1 tbsp tapioca flour

1/2 medium banana — approximately 1/4 cup

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

milk* — amount is given in the directions

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or barley flour

 

Instructions:
  1. Put first four ingredients in the blender and add enough milk* to make 1 1/2 cups. Then add the grains.
  2. Blend until it is a smooth pourable cream consistency, not thick like pancake batter**. —  Blend batter briefly before pouring each crepe to loosen it up so it will pour.  Usually have to add about a tablespoon of milk or water after first pour.
  3. Heat a good nonstick frypan (or two if you want the job to go faster) until a few sprinkles of water will dance on the surface.  The cooking temperature should be a med-low, 3-4.
  4. Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of batter in the pan and instantly roll the pan until you have a nice thin crepe.
  5. Cook until the air bubbles on the top of the crepe have begun to pop and the bottom is a golden brown. The crepe will have firmed up and look dry on the surface.  With a very thin spatula carefully turn and cook the other side until golden.  It should take about 1 minute each side.  Be sure and cook until the center is not mushy when pressed with your finger.
  6. Lay them out on a plate, not on a cooling rack, so they will be flexible for folding.

 

Notes:

*Soy and almond work really well, rice milk does not work.

**The batter can thicken as it stands and may need a tablespoon or two of additional milk or water to keep it the right consistency for pouring.

If you store any in the fridge or freezer, be sure and put a little piece of parchment between each one.  That way (if I make a batch to take in the motorhome or use at a later date), I can just take out the number I want without them sticking together.