Gluten and Dairy Free Crepes.
🌿🔥 Different Plates. Same Table.
🍗 Meat: Pesto chicken
🥦 Vegetarian: Mushrooms, spinach, and goat cheese
🌾 Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free: Mushroom, spinach, and pesto chicken crepes without goat cheese
Let me tell you about the first crepe I ever had.
Junior year of high school my French class took a trip to France and Italy. It was my first time out of the country — running around the streets of Paris and Rome with my friends, completely exhilarated by everything around us. The food, the people, the cobblestones, the feeling that the whole world had just cracked open a little wider.
One afternoon in Paris we stopped at a street vendor. Simple, no fuss, just a little cart on the street. We ordered crepes. Lemon and sugar. That was it. And I remember standing there on a Paris street, crepe in hand, thinking I had never eaten anything so perfect in my life.
Fast forward to my kitchen in New Hampshire —My crepes look a little different these days. GF flour and Malk almond milk in the batter so everyone can eat them. Garlicky mushrooms and spinach sautéed low and slow for the filling. Creamy goat cheese crumbled on top for some, vegan pesto and Trader Joe's grilled chicken for others.
But when dinner is done and there are a few crepes left, I squeeze a little lemon and sprinkle some sugar on top. Close my eyes. And for a moment I am back on that Paris street again.
INGREDIENTS- Serves 4
Crepe batter:
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups almond milk
2 tbsp DF butter, melted
1 cup GF flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Filling – mushrooms & spinach:
1 container button mushrooms, sliced
1 bag fresh spinach
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cubes
Salt
Pesto chicken:
1 bag Trader Joe’s grilled chicken strips (or any type of grilled chicken strips you like)
1 container of vegan pesto
Finishing:
1 goat cheese, crumbled
DF butter (for greasing pan/crepe maker)
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Make the Batter
Whisk together eggs, almond milk and melted DF butter first. Add the GF flour, and salt until blended but still have small chunks of flour. Let batter rest while you prepare fillings.
Step 2: Cook Mushrooms & Spinach
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic (or garlic cubes)and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they are golden and tender. About 10 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate. Add the spinach to the same skillet and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated. About 10 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the skillet, stir to combine and cook everything for another 5 to blend the flavors.
Step 3: Prepare Pesto Chicken
Toss grilled chicken strips with pesto until fully coated and set aside until serving.
Step 4: Cook the Crepes
Lightly grease crepe maker or pan with DF butter. Pour batter, spread thin, and cook until golden on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter.
Step 5: Warm the Chicken
Warm pesto chicken briefly in the microwave (about 45 seconds) just before serving.
Step 6: Fill & Serve
Fill crepes. Mushroom-spinach mixture with goat cheese for some, pesto chicken for others. No cheese for dairy free. Fold or roll before serving.
One simple crepe batter turns into three completely different meals using one simple batch of crepes. Making it easy to serve everyone at the table without cooking multiple dinners.
HELPFUL TIPS:
This recipe serves 3-4 but scales up easily — just multiply everything and the table grows with you!
Make the batter first and let it rest while you prep the fillings — this gives the GF flour time to absorb the liquid and makes for a much better crepe!!
King Arthur GF flour is the best for crepes — it gives a light delicate result that nobody would ever know is gluten free
A crepe maker makes this SO much easier than a pan — worth the investment if you make crepes regularly!!
Make all the crepes first, keep warm under foil then prepare each filling.
Double the recipe for dessert after!