Giving in to Cravings

In March, I finally went to see The Hobbit with my sister. While at the theater, I indulged in some wonderful hazelnut desserts. My oldest son is allergic to tree nuts, so we don't keep anything like that in our house. As a result, I have some terrible cravings for nuts (especially almonds, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts).

I got some fantastic hazelnut gelato and a Nutella crepe with shredded coconut. A crepe with Nutella and coconut sounds so simple, doesn't it? It even sounds like it might be a weird combination. Well, let me tell you, it is sooooo good. So good, in fact, that I was craving it like crazy. However, I wasn't able to have another get away where I could indulge in such a nut-fest. On one very rare (in that I was alone) trip to the grocery store, I succumbed to my craving and bought some Nutella. I hid it at home on the top of my fridge. That way, my son wouldn't even see it in our pantry.

Not too long after that, I made a good-sized batch of crepes with the intention that I would virtuously eat one hazelnut/coconut crepe a day. I made some for my husband, but I basically had all of those crepes and the whole jar of Nutella eaten within two days. It had been soooooo long since I had eaten Nutella, and the craving was just too strong. I probably won't be able to indulge myself in that area for a long while. :)

No recipe is really required. Just your favorite recipe for crepes, some Nutella, some sweetened, shredded coconut, and some powdered sugar or whipped cream to top it off.

I'll share my favorite crepe recipe again (which has already been shared before. You can find that original post here.)

 

Above: Spread Nutella on your crepe.

 

Above: Top with a good amount of sweetened, shredded coconut.

 

Above: Fold over or roll up and then top with a little powdered sugar or whipped cream if you want, but it is not necessary. Then gobble it up...try not to gobble it up too fast (though that is a challenge).

Basic Crepes

A 1/4 cup dry measure scoops and measures the batter at the same time.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk (I usually use skim milk)
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon sugar (my optional addition)

Directions:

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Combine milk, egg whites, and egg in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk until almost smooth.

Place an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Remove pan from heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute.

Carefully lift edge of crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. the crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is slightly browned. Turn crepe over, and cook 15-30 seconds on the other side.

Place crepe on a towel; cool. Repeat procedure until all of the batter is used, stirring batter between crepes. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper or paper towels to prevent sticking.

Yield: 10 crepes (serving size: 1 crepe)

Nutrition information: 41 calories, 0.8 g fat, 2.6 g protein, 5.8 g carb, 0.2 g fiber, 23 mg cholesterol, 0.4 mg iron, 85 mg sodium, 26 mg calc.

Source: Cooking Light cookbook.

Notes: I usually only get 8 crepes from this recipe (perhaps my pan is bigger than what the recipe calls for and thus it uses more batter).  Also, I never layer each crepe between paper towels or wax paper. I just put them on a plate on top of each other. I've never had a problem with them sticking. I really like these crepes. I like a hint of sweetness, so I added 1 teaspoon of sugar to the recipe.