ENJOY VALENTINES' DAY WITH GLUTEN-FREE CREPES!!

Valentines' Day is a great holiday....it's a perfect time for fun treats and goodies, and a chance to do something nice for someone you care about and love. So if you want to win over that special gluten-free someone, or show them you care through a special treat, I have the perfect suggestion for you......CREPES!!

If you are not familiar, let me introduce you to the wonderful and versatile world of gluten-free crepes. The great thing about crepes is that there are so many ways to fill them and eat them. You can make dinner crepes, dessert crepes, breakfast crepes, and more.

SO.....here are some of my suggestions to make a spectacular homemade Valentines' Day dinner and dessert.

Basic Gluten-Free Crepes Recipe

1 & 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl with a metal whisk. Stir rapidly for about 3 minutes, batter should be smooth and liquid-no clumps.

Heat a 10 inch skillet on medium heat, coat evenly with cooking spray. Pan must be heated before putting in batter. Remove pan from heat, and pour about 1/3 cup of batter into center of pan, gently move pan around causing the liquid to cover the bottom surface of the entire pan. Crepes turn out best when they are evenly spread out and thin. Put pan back on burner and let cook until crepe is solid and no longer runny. Take a spatula and run it around the edge of the crepe so it is not sticking to the pan. Flip it, then cook on the other side for about a minute. Crepe should be a light creme color. I recommend using a non-stick pan. If you have trouble flipping the crepe, simply use a lid on the pan while cooking. This will trap the heat and cook the crepe all the way through, thus eliminating the need to flip the crepe. When crepe is fully cooked but before browned, take a spatula once again around the edge of the crepe in order to prevent sticking, then simply shake the pan and slide it out onto a plate. Lightly spray pan again and add more batter. This recipe makes about 6 good sized crepes. Crepes should be delicate and about 1/8 inch thick. Also, you may notice the dense rice flour will start to sink as the batter sits, so be sure to briefly stir it with the whisk before pouring out the next scoop of batter.

Once your gluten-free crepes are all made, it is time for stuffing them. There are so many options for delicious flavor combinations. Here is one of my personal favorites.

DINNER CREPES

Mix 2 cups shredded baked chicken
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of ginger (optional)
dash of salt

Combine ingredients and seasonings then heat in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until cream cheese and sour cream are soft and runny. Stir the chicken and cream ingredients until chicken is evenly coated. (If you like more creamy crepes, add 1/4 cup more cream cheese, and 1/4 cup more sour cream). Take plate of crepes and spoon a couple of scoops down the center of the crepe. Then take shredded cheese (Monterey jack, or Colby jack) and sprinkle about a 1/4 a cup of cheese over the chicken mixture. Gently roll both sides of the crepe in so it resembles a burrito. Then take the stuffed crepe and place it face down(so the fold is on the bottom) of a glass 8 inch cake pan that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Repeat this process until all 6 crepes are side by side in the glass pan. Then take a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese and sour cream, heat until creamy, and then spread it on the top of the crepes. Cover with saran wrap or microwaveable lid and heat in the microwave for about 4 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted. These gluten-free crepes make a spectacular meal, and are really pretty easy to make. You just have to get the hang of making crepes. Once you have that down, you can make the crepes and stuff them all within 20 minutes. After Thanksgiving, I used my leftover turkey to make delicious turkey, cheese, and mushroom crepes that were fabulous! You can add crumbled bacon, diced zucchini, onion, peppers, mushrooms and much more according to your personal preferences (be sure to cook veggies prior to stuffing). These crepes also work well with ham instead of chicken, mozzarella cheese or medium cheddar.

DESSERT CREPES

While crepe is cooking, when it is about halfway done, sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips onto the crepe, they will sink in slightly. Do not flip crepe, just allow enough time for it to cook all the way through. Remove crepe from heat. Do not stack the crepes on top of each other. While crepe is still warm (or after reheating in microwave for about 30 seconds) take about 2 tablespoons peanut butter, and spread it across the inside of the crepe, thus spreading out the melting chocolate. Then scoop about 3 ice cream sized scoops of cool whip into a row going down the center of the crepe (or vanilla bean ice cream). Fold sides over and flip the crepe, so fold is against plate. Add a dollop of cool whip on top, and serve warm. These gluten-free dessert crepes are fabulous and super easy.

These gluten-free crepes are loved by both my friends and family who have to live-gluten free and those who don't. They make a special gourmet meal and dessert without a lot of fuss or hassle.

I also love making caramel drizzled crepes, and fresh strawberries and ice cream crepes....but we'll have to save those for another time. Let me know questions....I am here to help!

Happy Valentines' Day!