Buckwheat & Almond Crepes (or Wraps)

Buckwheat & Almond Crepes

filled with Strawberries & Vanilla-Cashew Cream

This morning I decided to make crepes out of buckwheat and almonds for breakfast. They were the best I've ever made! The secret? Partly the recipe (which was one I made up on the spur of the moment, knowing the basic ratio for crepe recipes), and partly the way I cooked them. I couldn't wait to share the recipe on Facebook, but I held back a bit of info so I'd have something to blog about... lol!

I don't know about you, but I've always found crepes a bit of a pain to make. Unless you have a good crepe pan, they can get stuck, or tear when you try and turn them over. So this morning I decided to save time and effort, and, well, CHEAT!! I cooked them in my sandwich press. :) It worked SO well that I won't cook them any other way now. It was really, really easy. No messed up crepes, not even one! This really is the simplest, quickest way to make crepes EVER.

This recipe is obviously gluten free; practically grain free (since buckwheat is not a grain); and it's also dairy free. (It's not egg free, but I'm thinking it could be if you used chia seeds instead of the eggs, and increased the amount of water a little. I'll try that soon and let you know how it goes.) The ground up almonds plus the water make the 'milk' for the recipe. It just so simple. I love recipes that really get back to the basics, and this is one of those.

These crepes are also perfect to use as savoury wraps; just leave out the vanilla. Gluten free wraps are generally awful - they are dry, and crumble when you try to wrap them around your food. But these crepes are soft and pliable, and are fine the next day so you can make them ahead. I also find these ones don't go soggy like the last gluten free crepes I tried to use as wraps, so that's another big plus! So make up a batch, and keep them in the fridge in a sealed ziploc bag, ready for school lunches - much cheaper and healthier than bought gluten free wraps, and they taste lots better.

Oh, and by the way, you can cook them longer and they'll turn into crisp 'wafers', which you can cut into wedges and serve with ice cream! Such a versatile recipe :) Hope you like them!

Buckwheat & Almond Crepes/Wraps

Soaked method:

1. Soak buckwheat and almonds in water, with vinegar, in a glass bowl (covered), overnight:

- 150g buckwheat, hulled

- 100g raw almonds

- 450g water

- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2. Next morning, blend soaked buckwheat and nuts in the soaking water on speed 9 for 2 minutes, adding a little water if needed. The mixture should form a vortex while blending - if it doesn't, it's too thick and you need to drizzle in water until it does. You should be able to see the metal top of the blades while it blends.

3. Add remaining ingredients and blend again for 1 minute, speed 9:

- 3 large eggs

- a pinch of salt

- 2 tsps vanilla extract (leave out if making savoury wraps)

- 45g macadamia oil (or other light flavoured oil)

4. Leave the batter to sit for 15 minutes in a cool spot, or in the fridge. It will get a bit thicker, so check it to see if you need to add any water. It shouldn't be as thick as pancake batter. (You can always add more water after the first crepe is made, if it's too thick.)

5. Preheat sandwich press. When it's ready, pour in the crepe batter, making sure you only make the crepe half the size you want it, as it will spread. (You can of course cook these in a crepe pan or frying pan instead of a sandwich press. You'll need a little oil or butter in the pan for each crepe. I would use coconut oil or ghee.)



6. Gently close lid and allow to cook until ready (about a minute, maybe a little more). If you want crispy 'wafers', cook until brown. (Don't worry if your crepes are a little bit crisp around the edges when you remove them - they soften up as they cool.)

7. Place crepes on a plate as you cook them, covering with a tea towel to keep warm. Leftover crepes can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days.

Non-Soaked Method

(for those of you who are in a hurry to make these and can't wait!)

1. Grind up the dry buckwheat in your Thermomix bowl on speed 9 for 1 minute:

- 150g buckwheat, hulled

2. Add almonds and grind for another 20 seconds, speed 9:

- 100g raw almonds

3. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 30 seconds on speed 9:

- 3 large eggs

- 450g water

- pinch of salt

- 2 tsps vanilla extract (leave out if making savoury wraps)

- 45g macadamia oil

4. Cook as per instructions above.

I like my crepes filled with fresh strawberries and vanilla-cashew cream, and drizzled with a little pure maple syrup... How do you like yours?