For today’s Light and Tasty appointment, lentil aquafaba crêpes invited themselves over! 😀
This wasn’t the type of crêpes I had in mind at all. I was thinking of sweet crêpes, planned from Monday to make on Tuesday for my son’s birthday dessert. But due to a series of obstacles, let’s skip the details, the plan was delayed by four days.
Thankfully, everything passes, and Saturday finally arrived, and I went for it.
I should have known right away that the crêpes I had in mind would turn into something else. It started when, by pure chance, I took out whole spelt flour instead of regular flour. I smiled to myself and thought: oh well, sure, why not? I could do half and half.
The start of a series of oh wells. 😀
Then as I reach for the sugar, I change my mind and decide not to add it because whole spelt flour gives me the idea that it’s unsuited for sweet crêpes. Okay, I’ll make them neutral, which goes well with everything, and for Light and Tasty, it’s better if the recipe is light. So, no sugar.
I even consult my friend Milena. And I make the decision to use just one egg despite her strong objections. 😀
The Team Light and Tasty will be proud of me; according to Milena, it can’t get any lighter than this!
I blend the batter and put it in the fridge.
While the batter rests in the fridge for the half hour that everyone, absolutely everyone, says is necessary, I prepare lunch for grandma.
Opening parentheses. I had lentils cooked the night before, just with water, no seasoning, some of which I made into a soup. With the remaining half, I wanted to make burgers. At the last minute, I changed my mind (oh what a surprise!), but this has nothing to do with the crêpes recipe. Closing parentheses.
I decide to blend a few lentils to add to grandma’s soup. Just a few, in their cooking water, so that the immersion blender can puree them well in a baby food style, otherwise grandma won’t eat them. While blending, having to blend for a long time, a dense and compact foam forms on the surface.
I say to myself: could this be the famous aquafaba?
I try to scoop it up with a spoon, and it fills an entire glass! I quickly put it in the fridge and rush to feed grandma, as I’m running late.
I finish, return, we have lunch (yes, we eat too, albeit at absurd hours! 😀).
And finally, it’s time for my crêpes.
I open the fridge, take out the batter (the half-hour rest turned into an hour and a half, but it doesn’t hurt, I think), and meanwhile, I glance at the glass with foam.
I exclaim ohhh look at it (addressed to the rest of the family looking at me sideways)! It’s still here! I would have sworn it would melt away!
Well, in fact, it did shrink a bit, but it still looks like foam.
Okay, I say to myself, and now what? Do I use it or throw it away?
Oh well, since it’s here, I’ll add it. After all, crêpes with egg whites exist, right? And crêpes with aquafaba exist, right? Maybe not exactly lentil aquafaba, but they exist.
And… the marvel of last-minute experiments… here are my crêpes with lentil aquafaba. And they turned out beautiful and delicious! 😀
👇 Other ideas:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10 crêpes
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 64.10 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.24 (g) of which sugars 1.33 (g)
- Proteins 3.06 (g)
- Fat 1.81 (g) of which saturated 0.83 (g)of which unsaturated 0.63 (g)
- Fibers 0.56 (g)
- Sodium 7.46 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 10 crêpes with lentil aquafaba
- 1.75 oz whole spelt flour
- 2.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba (from lentils)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (for the pan)
Tools
- Mixer electric
- Immersion Blender
- Spreader crepe spreader
- Crepe Pan non-stick (or crepe maker)
Steps
😉 I have always cooked crêpes with the electric crepe maker, and since it broke, this is the first time cooking them in a pan. That’s why these aquafaba crêpes are the most lopsided in creation! But… as my friend Elena always tells me, and she’s right: we’re here to have fun, right? 😇
The preparation of the batter is simple: just pour the egg, the two types of flour, and the milk into a bowl and blend everything with an electric mixer (or with a whisk).
I started using only 150 ml of milk, blended for a bit, then gradually added the remaining 100 ml.
Place the batter in the fridge for at least half an hour, but as mentioned in the introduction, it can be prolonged.
Prepare the lentil aquafaba: blend the lentil cooking water with an immersion blender (they say it also works with a whisk mixer, but I obtained this aquafaba by blending a few lentils in the cooking water using the immersion blender).
Blend until you get a white foam, very similar in consistency to whipped egg whites.
I used this aquafaba only after an hour or more of resting in the fridge, and because of this, it deflated a bit. This is how it looked when I used it, as seen in the following photo:
Gently mix with a spoon to incorporate the foamy mixture.
Proceed with cooking the crêpes: heat the pan, grease it with a little oil distributed with a kitchen brush, then cook one ladle of batter at a time. If needed, re-brush the crepe maker with oil (I did it three times for 10 crêpes).
☝ Note: cooking crêpes is not particularly intuitive for those attempting it for the first time, so I invite you to kindly doubt those who say cooking crêpes is easy, for me honestly it wasn’t! Here is the lopsided result of my first cooking attempt:
The first two crêpes turned out ugly and thick. Only then did I remember I had the spreader!
And things went a bit better after that (we’re optimistic!) 😀
In short, there is still work to be done, but the last two crêpes turned out without holes, and for this result, I have to thank this crepe spreader, a very simple and useful tool.
In the end, despite imperfections, I am very satisfied with the result. These crêpes are light, suitable for my diet, they are completely neutral, meaning without salt or sugar, and therefore suitable for any use.
For this first batch, I decided to prepare them for tomorrow’s lunch stuffed with ricotta and… well, I won’t say, just in case I change my mind! 😀
🔸 If you are new to aquafaba and don’t want to wait for your next lentil cooking, you can replace it with whipped egg whites.
Or you can use a greater amount of aquafaba. And yes, regarding aquafaba… let’s say the die is cast, and I’m ready for further experiments.
While waiting for my further investigations, if you want to know more, here’s the link HERE to the article by my friend Luisa, an expert in using aquafaba, whom I consulted during the recipe. Her help was truly invaluable.
Salt-Free Tips
Remember that I cook without salt 🙂 Below are some simple tips that can be practiced without any sacrifice. Try them!
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
– Gradually decrease salt, the palate needs to gradually adapt and not notice the reduction.
– Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
– Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
– Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
– Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
– Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
– Prefer fresh foods.
– Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, en papillote, steam, microwave)
– Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
– Occasionally allow yourself a rule break. It’s good for your mood and helps you persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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In my new WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page and Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Exactly what I was looking for! and if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter.
In my new WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page and Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Exactly what I was looking for! and if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter.
Light and Tasty:
Here are today’s recipes from my colleagues in the Light and Tasty Team:
Carla Emilia: Spinach Crepe Ring
Daniela: Tuscan Necci
Elena: Breton Galette
Franca: Buckwheat Crepes with Orange
Milena: Crespelle with Pumpkin and Porcini
Carla Emilia: Spinach Crepe Ring
Daniela: Tuscan Necci
Elena: Breton Galette
Franca: Buckwheat Crepes with Orange
Milena: Crespelle with Pumpkin and Porcini
info WW Propoints
For those interested in the WW propoints diet: the points I calculated for each crêpe, assuming to obtain 10, are: 1.9 p with whole milk; 1.8 p with semi-skimmed milk; 1.7 p with skimmed milk.
