Spinach Crepes with Curried Chicken

Spinach is in season and I love it--the flavor, the color, the texture. Here is a quick cooking dish that can be used for brunch or lunch or dinner. A hint of curry makes this lovely main dish even fresher tasting. The main emphasis is on good-for-you veggies. This dish is fairly low in calories and carbs.

Spinach Crepes with Curried Chicken
1 cup milk
1 cup lightly packed fresh spinach leaves
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chopped cooked chicken meat
1 tablespoon minced chives
1/2 cup chickpeas, (garbanzo beans), drained
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1teaspoon curry powder
Optional garnish: balsamic glaze and blue cheese
Pour milk in a blender container. Add spinach and blend until totally combined. Add eggs to blender along with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, flours, baking powder and oil. Blend thoroughly, scrapping sides of blender if needed. Allow batter to rest a few minutes. Make crepes in a small skillet over medium heat, pouring about 1/3 cup of batter into pan and swirling it to thin. Use butter to prevent sticking if needed. (Or use a crepe maker.)  Set aside, covered to keep them warm. Steam broccoli and carrots for 2 minutes in a microwave oven with very little water then drain thoroughly. Mix in chicken and chives. Process chickpeas with sour cream, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, mustard, curry and remaining salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Mix with chicken and veggies in a small skillet and heat through, stirring often. Fill crepes, roll and serve with garnish if desired.

Hints: Roasted chicken thighs work great. White meat is also good. Make sure the chicken is cut small. The broccoli, too. You could steam the veggies on the stove top if you would rather not use a microwave. The crepes can be made ahead; the filling as well. When ready to serve, heat the crepes wrapped in foil in a low oven, heat the filling on the stove top then fill the crepes and serve. These could be made smaller in size and used as an appetizer. They are moist and don't need a sauce but the balsamic glaze adds an interesting counterpoint to the flavor profile that I quite like. You can make your own glaze by bringing balsamic vinegar to a boil and cooking to reduce it by about half volume. These crepes would be great with another filling, like ham and cheese. Good plain, too.

These crepes pull together in about 20 minutes or less but taste like they took a long time. If you have some cooked chicken, you can have dinner on the table in under half an hour. You can roast boneless skinless chicken thighs while you make the crepes and still be done in 30 to 40 minutes. The bright green crepe color is lively and fun.  Curry, spinach, broccoli and carrots--an veritable feast of health promoting ingredients!

Cheese Blintzes

This time of year seems to feel a bit heavy sometimes with all the rich Holiday foods surrounding us. Here is a dish that lightens up without sacrificing tastiness and that "indulgent" feeling that we love.
Cheese Blintzes
Crepes:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups skim milk
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat together all ingredients until smooth. Heat a non-stick skillet or seasoned crepe pan over medium high heat. Pour scant 1/4 cup of batter into pan and tilt to coat bottom. Cook until top side is set, then turn over and cook a few seconds more. Remove to a rack and cool. Makes about 15 crepes.
Filling:
1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
8 ounces fat free cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together and place 1 heaping tablespoon in the center of a crepe. Fold bottom up, sides in and top down to form a square packet. Place seam side down in a greased baking dish. Repeat with remaining crepes. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 20  minutes. Serve warm plain or with jam, pie filling, gingered fresh fruit salad, etc.

Hints: These are low fat, low calorie--1 gram fat per blintz and 106 calories (with out the topping). Low sodium and high protein. These crepes are rustic feeling rather than the super thin kind. They seem to hold up to the filling better this way but using a simple crepe works fine as well. These blintzes are not super sweet and make for a nice breakfast or brunch dish but are appropriately served for dessert, too. Toppings are open to your imagination!

I created this recipe close to 20 years ago and it stands the test of time. It is still one of my favorites to eat and to serve. People seem to enjoy the little bundles of flavor and texture anytime I present them, Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall. They can be presented as a bit exotic if topped one way and very comforting and homey topped another.

Crepes with Ham and Cheese

Simple Crepe Batter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons oil or melted butter
butter for cooking if needed
Measure milk into a glass bowl (preferably one with a pour spout). Add eggs and whisk until blended. Add salt and flour and whisk again. Whisk in oil or butter. Heat 8 inch crepe pan or skillet to medium high heat. Butter bottom if necessary. (My crepe pan is seasoned so that this is not necessary.) Pour scant 1/4 cup batter into pan and immediately tilt pan to spread batter evenly over bottom. Cook for about 1 minute and flip with a pancake turner. Cook second side only 15 or 20 seconds. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Makes about one dozen 6 inch crepes.

Hints: If you have time, allowing the batter to rest for 20 or 30 minutes is great, but the recipe will work fine without the rest time. Adding a bit of sugar (1 tablespoon) and some flavoring (1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract etc.) makes this into a fine dessert crepe. Fill with ice cream, whipped cream and fruit, lemon curd or sweetened flavored cream cheese. Top with hot fudge, vanilla sauce or raspberry coulee. Or try this coco batter crepe for desserts.
 
Ham and Swiss Crepes
12 crepes (6 inch)
24 slices shaved ham
12 slices Swiss cheese
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cleaned and dry
Herbed brown butter sauce for serving
Place 2 slices of ham on each crepe, top with a slice of cheese and place 5 or 6 spinach leaves in the center. Roll up from one side and place in a buttered baking dish seam side down. Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with Herb Browned Butter Sauce, a Dijon mustard sauce or a horseradish cream sauce.

Hints: Cooked asparagus spears or even green beans could be substituted for the spinach in the center.

Herb Browned Butter Sauce
1/4 cup butter
2 to 3 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme etc.)
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
fresh ground black pepper, optional
In a small skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and allow to cook until it begins to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Once butter is browned, drop herbs in and stir immediately. Cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in vinegar or lemon juice, cook another 30 seconds and remove from heat. Add pepper if desired. Serve hot over roasted meat or fowl, poached fish, steamed veggies etc.

These are quick and easy but super tasty. Bill asked me "Are there any more of these?" He was really hyped on them. Turns sandwich fixings into a nice meal.