Comfort. That's what this dish provides. At least for me. I've been a big fan of creamed spinach since I can remember… my dad and I used to fight over it at the dinner table when I was a kid. Mom always had to make extra. But until I tried a spinach crêpe one time at a little crêpe shop in Greenwich Village, I didn't know what I had been missing. There's just something about a crêpe, be it sweet or savory that makes its filling more enjoyable. Maybe it's a placebo effect. After all, a crêpe is just a thin pancake and who doesn't love pancakes!?
Making crêpes can be a bit trying. Usually, if you're not used to making them, you will lose the first couple, until you get the hang of it. But once you do, you'll be making them… a lot. They're wonderful for special occasions, you can fill them with literally anything and with the holidays coming up, I'm sure you'll think of something delicious to create. Make sure you to use a non-stick crêpe pan which makes the job so much easier. For precise instructions on making crêpes, see my recipe for Chocolate Buckwheat Crêpes.
On to this fabulous recipe…
Ingredients:
~ for the crêpe
- 1 cup whole wheat, spelt, buckwheat or pastry flour
- 1½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 TBS ground flax + 3 TBS water
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 1 TBS Spike salt-free seasoning
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1½ cups water
- 1 medjool date, pitted
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp onion powder
Directions:
- Mix the flax meal with the water and set aside.
- Place all remaining crêpe ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the flax mixture and blend on low for just a couple of seconds to combine. Set aside.
- Water sauté the chopped shallots with the Spike seasoning until the shallots are tender.
- Pulse the spinach in a food processor until roughly chopped. You'll have to do it in batches. Add the chopped spinach to the shallots and sauté until all of the spinach is wilted. Add more water as needed to prevent sticking.
- Blend the cashews, water, date, nutmeg and onion powder until smooth (soak the cashews for a few hours first if you don't have a high-powered blender).
- Add this to the spinach mixture, reserving about ½ cup to top the crêpes, and mix well. Heat on low until warm. The cashew mixture may seem too thin at first, but as the cashew cream warms it will thicken, so don't warm it too much or you'll have to add more water to thin it again. When the consistency is just right (thick enough to hold together but not too dry), remove from the heat and set aside.
- Make the crêpes and keep warm in the oven as your'e cooking them, since you can only do one at a time. See my thorough instructions for making crêpes here.
- Warm up the reserved cashew cream until it thickens a bit.
- Assemble the crêpes by adding the spinach mixture to the center and rolling or folding over. Top with the extra cashew cream and some ground nutmeg.
Makes about 6 crêpes (depending on the size). Enjoy!
Healthy trails,
