Green Crepes with Berry Compote

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Gluten Free - Dairy Free - Refined Sugar Free 

Green Crepes Close-Up

I am super excited about this recipe! It took several tries to get the crepe consistency right without having them taste like spinach, but I've done it! The final product is fun to make and even more exciting to eat. Especially if you're enjoying this recipe around St. Paddy's Day. 

For this recipe, I chose to use buckwheat flour (which has a nutty, earthy flavor), combined with sorghum flour (which has a sweet, subtle flavor). Buckwheat flour tends to be a dryer flour, so balancing it with sorghum flour creates a moister end product. I tried using gluten free all-purpose flour blends for this recipe, but I just couldn't stand the taste. It's a total bummer because gf flour blends are convenient, but totally not worth the bitter taste and chalky mouthfeel. I understand that not everyone has these buckwheat and sorghum flour in their pantry, but I think it's worth heading to the bulk section of your natural grocery store to purchase a small amount of each of these flours and try something new. That way you can have your gluten free crepes and eat them too.

A few adjustments can be made on your end and no one will be the wiser. If you only have a gluten filled all-purpose flour on hand and know that your body can handle this, go ahead and use that instead. Just consider yourself forewarned not to use gf all-purpose flour, it will never taste as good as the buckwheat and sorghum flour combo. On that note, I imagine that you could even make these with just 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour (and omit the sorghum), if that's all you have on hand. I haven't tried this, but I believe that it would be just fine. Might be a touch thicker, but you can be the judge of that. Oh, and, if the green color freaks you out, feel free to make the recipe sans spinach. This will not effect the end product other than its final color.

Bon Appétit.

Green Crepes Top View

Green Crepes with Berry Compote

Prep: 15 - 20 minutes

Makes: ~9 small (7") crepes

 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup dairy free milk of choice
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • Splash vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1/4 cup sorghum flour
  • 1 tsp. unrefined coconut oil

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  • 2 cups frozen (or fresh) berries
  • Splash maple syrup
  • Cinnamon to your liking

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Directions

  1. In a high-speed blender, combine spinach, water, df milk, egg, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Blend until the spinach is completely liquefied with no leafy chunks. Leafy chunks in crepes would be gross.
  2. Once you have a green liquid mixture, add buckwheat and sorghum flours. Blend until fully combined. This will be a runny mixture. Don’t think pancake batter. These are crepes, not pancakes. Set batter aside and start the berry compote.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine berries, splash of syrup and dash of cinnamon. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
  4.  When the berries begin to burst, remove the lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for ~10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Berries will continue to breakdown and the mixture will thicken. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
  5. In a small bowl, mix unsweetened yogurt with a splash of maple syrup to cut the bitter flavor. This allows you to control how much sugar is in your yogurt. (If you’re okay with unsweetened products, no need to do this).
  6. While the compote simmers, heat a small non-stick pan over medium heat with a tiny dash of coconut oil to prevent sticking.
  7. When the pan is warm, pour in a small amount of batter and quickly tilt pan to spread the batter evenly in a thin later. (For my 7” pan, I use ~ 2 Tbsp. of batter).
  8. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes until the crepe begins to bubble and lift away from the sides of the pan. Use a spatula to gently work around the sides of the crepe lifting the edges of its full circumference. If sticking, the crepe isn’t ready. If lifting, then flip the crepe and cook for another minute on the other side. Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack while you cook the remainder.
  9. When you’re ready to serve, use the back of a spoon to gently spread a thin layer of yogurt onto each crepe. Then roll, or fold, the crepes and top with a hefty drizzle of berry compote. Serve and enjoy!

Pro Tips

Prep: Batter can be made the night before and stored in a sealed container in the fridge for quick use the next morning. The batter may ferment a bit overnight. This isn’t a bad thing. Just know that it might have a tiny slight bitter flavor in the morning.

Prep: Compote can be made a day in advance. Cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator then reheat (or not) when serving.

*Dairy Yogurt: Look for organic, grass-fed yogurt without unnecessary additives. I rarely consume dairy, but when I do, I focus on quality products. I’m currently enjoying Naturi’s pure whole milk organic Greek yogurt.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Green Crepes Half Eaten