Summer Vegetable Crepes

What you see is my first attempt at making crepes - I didn't succeed the first time... okay, it took about four tries but I think I finally mastered it. Maybe? The recipe calls for premade crepes but I'm way too cheap for that. It's only flour, milk, and egg - which I already had - so I tried my own. If you don't want to even mess with it, see if you can find the pre-made kind at your store to make this dish even easier.

I found this recipe on Pinterest; it's originally from EatingWell and it sounded light, tasty and perfect for a super hot summer day. I thought it was absolutely delicious, though Jason did not like it. No problem with me; that meant I got the leftovers! I did switch out black beans for the green beans simply because I really only like roasted green beans. Next time, I might even add some diced asparagus to it. Since I used the beans, they mushed a bit into the cheese and turned the mixture a slightly unappealing color but worry not; it was still delicious (I put a picture of it cut open at the end of the post).

These are cheesy, creamy, and light - plus fairly healthy!

Don't worry if you taste the sauce and think it's too tangy; I did too until I tried it with the slightly eggy crepe, the creamy cheese, and vegetables and it really goes well together. This is a great way to use up vegetables you have on hand, too!

I'll also include the very basic crepe recipe I found on AllRecipes. My only suggestion would be to take the 1/4 cup batter portion with a grain of salt; part of my issue was that I really needed twice that to fit my pan and make a decent sized crepe. Just eyeball it.

Summer Vegetable Crepes
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives, divided, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons low-fat milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/4 cups chopped green beans (I subbed black beans)
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used swiss - I had it on hand)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 9-inch “ready-to-use” crêpes, or make your own

Stir sour cream, 1/4 cup chives, milk, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, green beans and corn and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in ricotta, Monterey Jack, the remaining 1/4 cup chives, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To roll crêpes, place one on a piece of parchment or wax paper (or leave it on the piece of plastic separating the crêpes in the package). Spoon one-fourth of the vegetable-cheese mixture (about 3/4 cup) down the center of the crêpe. Use the paper (or plastic) to help you gently roll the crêpe around the filling. Place the crêpe seam-side down on a dinner plate. Repeat with the remaining crêpes and filling. Serve each crêpe topped with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and more chives, if desired.

Crepes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (add a bit more if the batter is not runny enough)
1 egg
1 pinch salt

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, egg and salt.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot add a teaspoon of butter and lightly coat the surface of the pan with the melted butter.

Pour one quarter cup of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface in a smooth and even layer. (I ended up using more on each one due to my pan size)

After two minutes, lift up an edge of the crepe with a spatula to see if it is browning. When the underside has begun to brown, flip the crepe and cook the other side until it is also brown; about 2 minutes.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 to cook the remaining crepes. Serve hot.