Oh Crepe!

"You haven't made crepes in such a l-o-n-g time. Could you please make crepes, please please".

Such a simple request. But this guilt package was twice as heavy. First, the obvious guilt of not having made something that they enjoy so much. Second, the request was for crepes. Those ridiculously easy to make crepes.

So here I was serving up crepes for breakfast wondering why I don't make them often enough.
We've enjoyed crepes for breakfast and dessert. We once even had them for lunch at a fast food place, but those were ginormous ones stuffed with spinach, onions, cheese etc. Totally spoilt the delicateness of the crepes.

Apart from being so easy to make, they can be made ahead for time. Not only can you store the batter in the fridge for a couple of days, the crepes can be stored (separated by wax paper)for just as long. Such lifesavers.

This time I made several substitutions, replaced part of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, one egg with an equal measure of egg substitute, 1 tbsp of butter with a tbsp of oil. I was quite happy with the results.
The amount of sugar is greatly reduced as I much prefer to sweeten things with fruit or yogurt. Another reason for not making the crepes sweeter is that they can also be used for savoury fillings or toppings. Less work is good; especially since I'm not inclined to making two versions of the batter.

Crepes
Ingredients
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 eggs (or 1 egg and egg substitute for 1 egg)
½ cup milk (nonfat is ok)
2 tbsp butter, softened (or 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil)
1 tbsp sugar (or more)
pinch of salt



Method
Mix all the ingredients and run them through a blender or food processor till well combined.
Heat the pan (I use a 6-inch nonstick pan) and add a tiny dab of butter.
Pour a little less than ¼ cup of the batter in the middle of the pan.
Lift the pan and twirl the pan to spread the batter evenly, covering the entire pan.
(With just a little practice one gets the hang of it and is able to make the crepes of even thickness and avoid the supercrispy outer edge. Not that the edges are a bad thing.)
Cook for about 1 minute on medium heat. The crepe will start pull away from the sides of the pan.
Flip and cook the other side for about 45 seconds.
Makes about 8 6-inch crepes.
This recipe can be easliy doubled.

Some Variations We Enjoy
In addition to the usual yogurt and fruit (even here the permutations and combinations are endless), PBJ is good too.
A little bit of Nutella-love spread on the crepe and topped with a little chocolate sauce and some toasted nuts.
Fruit and thinned jam.
Spinach and cheese.

One day, some day I want to try this crepe-cake.

Homemade Granola

If you like granola but hate the expensive, sweet, preservative laden grocery store varieties, read on.
This granola is based on a recipe I found online but I've tweaked it so much that it bears no resemblance to the original.

I started making this granola around the time I started reading food labels and started worrying about preservatives, trans fats, corn syrup etc being in the foods we consumed. I figured at least I know exactly what went into our breakfast.

Though this granola doesn't have any preservatives and not much fat, it is fairly high in calories. What with all the nuts and dried fruits.

This granola is supposed to have a shelf life of about two weeks but it is gone within a week. So I have never been able to verify that claim.

Variations: Too many to list.
By just changing the nuts and dried fruits and the proportions in which they are used, you can create so many versions of this granola.
Substitute the honey with maple syrup for a completely different taste.
Use nutmeg instead of cinnamon for an interesting twist.

Though we usually have this granola for breakfast, the kids like to munch on it as a snack, or use it as a topping for ice-cream.

Ingredients
6 cups rolled oats
1.5 cups chopped nuts (I usually use almonds and walnuts)
1 cup dried fruit ( I like to add black raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, and apricots)
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup honey (1 cup to make it extra sweet)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup wheat germ
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp flax seeds or flax seed meal (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine the oats, nuts, cinnamon, salt, and wheat germ. Mix well.
In a large wok or pot, heat the oil over low heat and add the honey. Mix well.
Add the oat mixture and toss well making sure the oil-honey mixture coats as much of the oat mixture as possible.
Divide the mixture onto two baking sheets. Spread well.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, stirring the oats every 7-8 minutes. If you prefer a lighter coloured granola, reduce the baking time by about 5-6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and stir in the dried fruit and flax seeds (if using).
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

This is my entry for WeekendBreakfastBlogging#13: Oats, hosted this month by Madhuli of My Foodcourt.