Green Crepes & Coconut Pistachio Butter
These vibrant green crepes are super quick to make and packed with nutrition instead of artificial colors. And paired with a matching coconut-pistachio butter, it’s a perfectly colored start to your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Don’t let that radioactive green scare you. It’s colored with spinach and my secret ingredient: spirulina. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is packed with essential nutrients including protein, beta-carotene, vitamin E, antioxidants, and chlorophyll. (for some great information look here) It’s often found in powder form, and has a gorgeous vibrant dark green color to it. It does have a slightly oceany taste, so I kept the amount quite small in our crepes, just enough to boost the color of the spinach without compromising flavor.
These crepes, though. They are the right amount of soft and pliable and rich and buttery. I love them. While I was brainstorming and experimenting, my 6 year old asked what I was doing, and then said, “you should put pistachios inside because they’re green and yummy.” And I just gaped at her. I mean, how genius is that?! So we pulled out the food processor, roasted some pistachios (because roasting helps eliminate some of that phytic acid that we hate and hates us back so much … and roasted nuts are good. I mean, do I need to explain?), and let the machine rip. We had an immediate problem. When the nuts finally broke down and released their oils, it turned into a big waxy ball instead of a lucious, spreadable butter. Why? Because pistachios have a lower fat content than most other nuts that we like to pulverize into butter. So those poor little, green nuggets of yum were really doing their best to get nice and creamy, but were a little too lean to do it by themselves. And since this was going to be a sweet application, I had a moment of brilliance and added coconut oil, and the magic happened. Just a tablespoon was enough to smooth it all out into a spreadable butter, and the flavor combination was perfect.
Add a tiny hit of raw honey and a pinch of salt and you’ll be licking that bowl clean. And I won’t judge you because I did it, too.
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons raw honey, preferably local
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod discarded or saved for another use*
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, lightly packed
- 1/4 teaspoon spirulina powder, optional**
- In a blender (preferably a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix), combine all of the ingredients in order. Blend until smooth. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate for up to one day; stir together before using.
- Heat a, 8 inch skillet over medium. Using a pastry brush, very lightly coat the surface and up the sides a little with butter. Add a scant 1/4 cup of the batter, swirl to cover the bottom of the skillet. If it doesn't sizzle at all, your heat is too low, if it instantly bubbles and spatters and cooks too soon to coat the surface of the skillet, your heat is too high. Cook until you begin to see slight browning at the edges, about 2 minutes.
- Slide the tip of a skewer or thin rubber spatula between the edge of the crepe and the skillet to loosen. Then using your fingertips, pick up one side of the crepe and flip it over quickly. Cook another minute. Slide the crepe out of the skillet and set aside. Repeat with remaining batter, coating the pan with a thin coat of butter as needed.
- Serve with coconut pistachio butter (see below) and/or other of your favorite crepe fillings.
- *you can add the pod into a small, lidded container of sugar to make vanilla sugar.
- **the spirulina is optional but if you omit it, the resulting crepes will have a less vibrant green color
- 1.5 cups shelled pisatchios
- 1 tablespoon unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoons raw honey to taste
- Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium-low heat and add the pistachios. Cook, tossing frequently, until the nuts begin to brown slightly and you can smell a light, nutty smell. Keep a close eye on them as they will quickly burn.
- Pour the roasted nuts onto a clean kitchen towel and rub the nuts to remove the peels. You won't be able to get them all off, but the more you get off, the greener your nut butter will be.
- Place the roasted pistachios into the bowl of a food processor and turn the machine on, stoppin to scrape sides as needed. The nuts will first turn into what looks like pistachio flour, then the oils will release and it will start so collect in corners and clump together. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to process until smooth.
- Use immediately or transfer to a container with a tight fitting lid. It will store in the refrigerator for several weeks. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.
Comments
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Grace | eat, write + explore
March 11, 2016
These look amazing! I will definitely be making a big batch of coconut pistachio butter – that sounds like my idea of heaven!
Lillian
March 23, 2016
It really is so good. Let me know what you think when you make it! Thanks!