Crepes, two ways.

I miss food.  I miss the ease of being able to open up the fridge and eat whatever I want.  That being said, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at some gluten free crepes this week.  After living in Japan, I grew to love crepes and the variety of foods that could be put in them.  So I went online and looked up different recipes.  The two that I ended up using were from a blog called Gluten Free Gobsmacked, and another generic one from about.com.

 Gluten Free Easy Crepes from Gluten Free Gobsmacked
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup (or 50g) cornstarch
1 egg
2 teaspoons olive oil or melted butter maybe 1tsp next time?
pinch of salt


Mix it all together, cook on medium high until they are crepe-like.  Super easy recipe.  Okay results.  They ended up a bit oily, and they bubbled a lot no matter what heat I had them on.  The bubbling didn't really change the taste, just the appearance.  We ended up filling them with bananas and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and they were nice and tasty <3  If I am craving quick crepes to throw a nice filling in, I will definitely break this recipe out.  I just need to remember to use less oil next time.

Gluten Free Crepes from about.com
1 1/4 cups milk (I used plain soy milk)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter OR light olive oil
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar  omitted for savory crepes
1/2 teaspoon vanilla  omitted for savory crepes
1/8 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

Again, mix together and cook on medium high until crepe-like.  These crepes turned out amazing.  The texture was right on, the edges browned wonderfully, and they tasted just like regular crepes.  I was a little worried when mixing the batter - gluten free flour mixes seem to smell really bean-y.  Luckily my fears were put to rest when I finished these up.  I made these crepes into a nice lunch for everyone, filling them with a creamed chicken and spinach that I threw together.

Creamed Chicken with Spinach - Dairy free
3 cups cashew cream
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1/4 of a whole sweet onion
1/2 pound chicken thighs (or breasts, if you prefer)
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon coriander
3 cups raw spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautee the onions until they are clear through and just starting to brown.  While doing this cut the raw chicken into bite sized pieces, then throw into the pan.  Let the chicken brown, then add the cashew cream.  Add your spices and let simmer until the cream has reduced by about a third.  Add in spinach and let it cook down, then season with salt and pepper.


What's cashew cream you ask?  Only the best thing known to man!  Well...maybe not THAT good.  But having to go without dairy, it is a wonderful thing.  I found out about it through my vegan friend Rachel.  She sent me to a book called The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen.  Soy milk just doesn't cut it for when you want things to be creamy, but cashews sure do the trick.

Cashew Cream from Tal Ronnen
 2 cups whole raw cashews (not pieces, which are often dry), rinsed very well under cold water

Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.  Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place them in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth.


After making these two different variations on traditional crepes I was very satisfied with some of my first attempts into gluten free cooking.  I feel like I can actually do this, and do it well.  I hope that I can keep going and pushing myself to become as good of a cook gluten free as I have been in the past.