Sunday, January 22, 2012

Ridiculously Easy Recipe: Bodacious Blueberry Crepes!

As some of you may know, I've been on Weight Watchers on and off since 2008. Sometimes I have great success with it, other times I am too lazy to put in the work to lose weight.

What most people think about WW is that it’s a diet and I have to say, it isn’t. At least, it isn’t a diet in the sense that you cut out certain things, or fixate on others. Essentially Weight Watchers teaches portion control, emphasis on eating fruits, veggies, and lean meats, and other lifestyle changes like working out, and drinking water. It’s a great program if one is willing to take the time to plan and track.

That being said, you can eat almost anything when “on plan.” For example, these amazing blueberry crepes I made for Jeff and me after dinner tonight. Fresh blueberries simmered on the stove with powdered sugar, grated ginger, lemon zest and a pinch of cinnamon is our filling. Our shell is a crepe, a thin pancake that is quick cooked on the stove-top. Both recipes I modified from existing Weight Watchers recipes.

Who says a girl can’t have her crepe and eat it too?


Blueberry-Filled Crepes



Serves 2 or 4 (depending on how hungry you are!)


For the filling, you will need:

2 cups, or one pint, fresh or frozen blueberries

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons water

Zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/8 teaspoon (just a dash really!) ground cinnamon

1) In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and water on medium-low setting.

2) Cover.

3) Gradually add in the zest, and ginger.

4) Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.

5) Continue to cook until berries are soft and the sauce thickens slightly.

6) Remove from heat and stir in dash of cinnamon.

7) Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to one week. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave for 90 seconds, stirring often.


For the crepes, you will need:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup fat free milk

2 eggs or 6 egg whites (I used one egg and 3 egg whites)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1) In a bowl combine all ingredients listed. The batter will be thin, almost watery.

2) Heat a large (12”) skillet on medium and spray very liberally with cooking spray.

3) Pour ¼ cup batter in hot skillet and immediately swirl the pan, distributing the batter to the edges of the pan.

4) As the edges start to curl, slowly run a rubber spatula under the crepe to loosen.

5) You can flip the crepe once the underside is slightly golden brown.

6) Cook the other side, and slide onto a plate.

7) Repeat with the remaining batter, 4 crepes total

To serve, lay one crepe flat on a plate and spoon 2 tablespoons of warm or chilled blueberry sauce up the middle. At this point you could also add 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese or some other sweet cheese filling. Fold the crepe and top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, an additional tablespoon of blueberry sauce, and/or vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

Yields 1 crepe shell and 3 tablespoons blueberry sauce per serving.

Simple, delicious, done!

XOXO

Shauna E!


Quick and Dirty Q & A

Q. What are some other fillings I could use in this recipe besides blueberries?

A. I chose blueberries for their color, flavor, and texture. I love warmed blueberries and they way they pop in your mouth! I also chose blueberries because they have very few seeds as opposed to their other berry counterparts. That being said, one could use any sort of berry-fruit such as blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries. One could also use pears, peaches or mangos as well. As always make sure your fruits are blemish-and-bruise free! If you do choose to use a seedier berry, you can push the warmed sauce through a mesh strainer to catch some of the hard seeds. The sauce will be less chunky in this instance, however.

Questions? Comment below!

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