Whole Wheat Crepes

In honor of World Nutella Day, I have decided to make some crepes. Now I know Nutella may not be the healthiest options, but sometimes we can indulge. Of course, I couldn't let a day like this pass without celebration. When my brother and I were kids, this was one of our favorite desserts. We never actually ate crepes at restaurants, because they are way too expensive for what they actually are. Besides, my Mama is a pretty darn good cook. About a year ago, while I spread the word of Nutella around my friends, my friend Daniella got a bit hooked with Nutella and making crepes. To make it a bit healthier, she thought of making the crepes whole wheat. She was kind enough to pass the knowledge on, and I have never looked back.

Whole wheat can offer various health benefits. It contains many different vitamins and minerals. Health benefits range from protection against cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and cancer prevention. It contains a lot of fiber which can protect us against colon cancer and helps us with our digestive system. Once you get used to eating whole wheat instead of the white "stuff", you will never miss the other "stuff." I call it "stuff," because this flour was stripped of all the benefits previously mentioned. So really do yourself a favor and start eating the good grainy whole wheat flour.

Here is my version of whole wheat crepes. I actually don't add a lot of sugar to the batter, because Nutella brings in enough sweetness.You can always eat the crepe with ice-cream or make it even healthier with some vanilla yogurt, fruits, and nuts. Me, I like it the way my Mama made it, well a tad bit healthier. Just Nutella and some fruits on the side.

Whole Wheat Crepes

Serves 7

1 egg
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1.25 cups milk
0.5 cups water
1 tablespoon safflower oil (or olive oil)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
A few more drops of oil for the pan

1. Add the egg, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Add the milk, water, and oil and whisk again.
3. Add the flour and mix it. Make sure that this is runnier than pancake mix. Because this is whole wheat flour, you want it to be a bit more runny so it can spread in the pan.
4. Heat a few drops of oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Tilt the pan with a circular motion to ensure the batter coats the surface evenly and fully. You may have to increase the amount of batter poured due to your pan size.
5. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip and cook on the other side. You want the crepe to be slightly brown. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
7. Add your favorite ingredients onto the crepe and either roll or fold it twice in half.

Crepes are a great dessert that you can always change up. Usually they are best eaten warm, but some people like them cold. My Mama likes them when they are cold and "bruised" as she likes to call it. I hope you enjoy eating this healthier version. Njam, Njam, Njam!

Reflection

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." (Kierkegaard)

My counsin Zana and I went for a "hike" the other day. I don't know if we can consider the trail we were on as a "hike," but we did get some good exercise out of it. I guess I am a bit spoiled coming from California, with her beautiful weather and mountains. The hike came out to about 11 miles, and at the end we stopped at Lake Georgetown. My friends know that I love to go where the water is. I don't really care to swim in the water (although that is fun too), but one of my favorite things is to just sit and look out into this great blue mass and listen to the sounds of the wind peering through the water with the birds flying over my head and the warm sun shining on my arms. Yes, I do love my water. Yet, one of the best things about the water is this sense of calmness that surrounds you. I love to sit around a body of water and just think. I tend to do a lot of reflecting when I do so. I reflect a lot about my life, certain decisions I made, people I have met, and the possibilities I have missed. I simply reflect to find myself. That is the power of water and being in tune with your surroundings. 

Bean and Potato Soup (altered Bosnian “Grah”)

A few years ago, I remember reminiscing about my childhood with my grandma and my aunt. My aunt explained to me how you could always find my socks on the floor and my hair stuck to my face where the evidence of today’s fruit jam was plastered. I always had the liking for good home-made food. I have only a few fond memories of back home (for those of you that don’t know back home is Bosnia for me). One of the best memories was spending some time at my grandma’s house and eating a nice bowl of bean soup (or what Bosnians simply call “Grah”). Bean soup was considered a poor man’s food and to this day still is by many people. Yet, this was ultimately my favorite food. It is rather simple, but keeps you warm and your tummy full.

The notion of beans being a poor man’s food should be heavily reconsidered. Beans have so much great nutritional value that one could definitely let the sometimes embarrassing side effects (i.e. gas) slide completely. First, beans have a high fiber content which helps lower blood cholesterol levels, helps control blood sugar levels, aids in digestion, and may reduce the chance of heart disease. Beans are also very high in protein which helps keep your muscles healthy and your tummy feeling satisfied. Other great nutrients found in beans are: calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese. Sounds pretty nifty, ay?

Now you may be thinking of overcooked gooey beans on the side of your lunch tray, but I assure you beans can become a great staple in everyone’s diet. Apart for being good for you, beans are so versatile that everyone can find one they love. You can throw them in some soup, with some brown rice, add them to salads, or create some great Mexican dishes.

This bean soup requires one important step—cooking the beans from scratch. This may scare some people off, but really cooking beans from scratch is very easy. The best way to do this is soaking the beans overnight. All you have to do is wash the beans, put them in a pot, cover, and let them sit overnight and till you are ready to cook them. Now, if you are fancy and have all kinds of cool gadgets in the kitchen (yes Mama, I am thinking of you here) then you might have a pressure cooker. Using a pressure cooker would not require soaking. If you are like me, a possible struggling student, or are on a tight budget, then soaking will get the job done. I might even have to come up with a list of benefits of making your beans from scratch…next time folks. I want to get your tummies nice and warm with the recipe first.

Bean and Potato Soup (altered Bosnian “Grah”)

Serves 8

1 pound dried Great Northern beans

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ large onion, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 cups water

¾-1 pound russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed

4 small carrots, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

2 large tomatoes, sliced

1 bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Ajvar*

1 tablespoon Vegeta** or salt

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon of pepper

Additional salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash beans under cold water and pick out any stones. Soak beans in plenty of cold water overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Make sure that the beans are in a cool temperature.

2. Drain the beans in a colander.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a large pot, and add onion and garlic. Cook the onion and garlic until softened for about 8 minutes.

4. Add the water and beans to the pot and raise the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and let simmer for about 1 hour.

5. Add the potato, bell pepper, carrot, vegeta or salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in another pot heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a small pot, and add the tomatoes. Cook until softened and juicy, about 3 minutes. Add the Ajvar and cook for about 1 minute.

7. Check to see if the beans are tender, if not; continue to simmer until they are.

8. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted.

Add extra salt and pepper to taste.

* Ajvar – is one of my favorite spiced spreads to use when I cook with tomatoes. It gives the dish a nice mild spice. The spread is made up of peppers, eggplant, etc. You can pick it up in any market that sells foreign food. I always get the ZerGüt brand.  

**Vegeta – the secret to most of my dishes is this all-purpose seasoning. You can pick this up also at a foreign food store. This is made by Podravka and imported from Croatia.

The soup is fairly simple to make and comes with great health benefits. I hope you give this recipe a try. Njam, Njam, Njam!