sweet miscellany

I feel like I’ve been neglecting the blog a bit lately, though not by choice! It started last Sunday with a rather large order I had to bake for my shop. It kind of threw my schedule out of whack, and then I had to go to Arkansas for work for a couple of days. Soooooo, yeah. It’s been a little busy.

I’m hoping to have some time perhaps tomorrow to bake or make something yummy, but until then, I’ll leave you with a simple crepe recipe and a little sneak peak of something that will be added to my shop soon. Hint: it’s what’s on top of my crepe!

These crepes are pretty simple to pull together, and the batter can hang out in the fridge until you are ready to make them. They are really versatile and can work in both savory and sweet dishes. And, to make it even better, they are gluten free. I made these this past weekend for my sister and niece that visited and we filled them with a mixture of kale, leeks, mushrooms, and bacon. Enjoy and happy crepe making!

Basic Buckwheat Crepes
This will make around 6 or 7 large crepes (8-inch). Recipe adapted from here

8 oz coconut milk (or almond milk)
4 large eggs
4 oz buckwheat flour
pinch of fine grain sea salt

coconut oil for cooking

Make the batter: in a blender, or in a bowl with a whisk, mix together all of the ingredients until smooth. It should look like very thin pancake batter. At this point, you can go straight into making your crepes, or you can chill the batter for a bit until you want to use it. If you chill it, make sure to mix it again right before using it.

Make the crepes: I found that the best pan to use for these was my 8-inch cast iron skillet, but any pan in a similar size will work as long as it is oiled well enough. Heat up your pan over medium heat. Once heated, add a bit of coconut oil to the pan and let it melt. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom with the oil (I used an oven mit to hold my cast iron since the handle heats up as well). Pour enough batter into the pan (roughly 2 to 3 tbsp) to just barely coat the bottom, making sure to swirl the pan so the batter covers the entire surface. Let the crepe cook for about 30 seconds, then, using a small metal spatula, carefully lift up the crepe and flip it over onto the other side. Cook for an additional minute, then remove the crepe. It should be golden on both sides and look like a very thin pancake. Continue with all of these steps until the rest of the batter is gone. Don’t worry if the first one falls apart, it will still taste good!

Oh how I love strawberry season! Aside from using strawberries in some delicious new jam for my shop, I’ve been eating them with everything. Yogurt for breakfast? Top it with strawberries! Plain whole wheat toast? Top it with strawberries! Raw kale salad? Top it with strawberries! Ok, I think you get the idea here. Since the strawberry farmer at my market told me that next weekend will be the last they will have strawberries, I’ve been enjoying them in every conceivable way. I’m not too terribly sad about their fleeting season because dewberries are already ripening on the vine!

In an ode to strawberries, I made some banana-berry muffins this past weekend after returning from the farmer’s market. The muffin itself is a simple vegan/wheat free banana base with fresh strawberries and blueberries tossed in and topped with an oat-y/streusel topping. Since the berries hold a lot of moisture, these muffins are best enjoyed the day they are made, or the next day. After that, it’s best to put them in the fridge or freezer.

Banana Berry Muffins
This recipe will make 6 to 8 muffins, depending on the size of your pan. I didn’t add any spices this time, but cinnamon or nutmeg would be particularly delicious in these.

muffins
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut milk (or other milk of your choice)
2 tbsp coconut oil, liquified
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
about 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
about 1/3 cup of diced fresh strawberries

topping
1/4 cup whole oats
1 tbsp almond meal
1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp room temp/solid coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with liners or parchment. Whisk together the dry ingredients for the muffins and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the berries with about a tbsp of the flour mixture from your dry ingredients. Toss to coat all of the berries. Add your wet ingredients to your dry and mix until the batter just comes together, then add the fruit and mix until the berries are evenly distributed. The batter will be quite thick. To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork. It should look similar to a streusel type topping. Put the batter in the muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 or so of the way (I used a 1/4 cup measure for each and they came out perfect). Next, sprinkle the topping on each muffin, gently patting it down so it will stick. Bake the muffins in the upper 1/3 of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!