I went to my elementary school reunion this past week-end.  I saw old friends and classmates, many of whom I hadn’t seen in almost 30 years.  It was a great time and I said a bunch of inappropriate things only made possible by the ingestion of copious amounts of my go-to drink, the dirty martini.  “How dirty?” someone asked.  I of course said, “Stripper dirty.” I may have even said something worse.  Oyvey.  Apologies to all in attendance.

Anywhoo, a less than flattering picture of me was taken which showed layers and billowing folds of belly fat.  I will not post it here because, well, you’re probably eating and I don’t want to trouble your digestion with the actual image.  Just picture it in your mind’s eye and trust that it is as unattractive as it sounds.

The Tuscan Egg Crepe is all kinds of delicious and low carb, specifically created by me this morning in response to that horrifying picture.  Crepes are traditionally made with flour, eggs, melted butter and sugar or omit the sugar if a savory crepe is what you’re after.  My version has no flour, no butter and is actually quite simple to make.

Ingredients

Non-stick cooking spray

4 large eggs
2 tablespoon water

Procedure

Beat egg and water with a fork until well mixed and uniform in consistency.

Heat a small skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until hot.

Spray pan lightly with Pam.

Return the pan to the heat for about 5 seconds then ladle into the pan about 2 tablespoons (or enough to create a thin coating on the pan) of egg mixture. Rotate the pan to evenly distribute the egg mixture. Cook about 2 minutes or until the edges come away from the pan slightly and the bottom is browned. Carefully flip over onto your spatula and then onto the pan to brown the other side.  If your pan is hot enough, it shouldn’t take more than 15 seconds to set.

That last picture is what happens when you don’t spread the batter out quickly enough.  Remember that these crepes are paper thin and take mere seconds to set so don’t wait too long to tilt the pan and spread the layer out enough so that it covers the bottom.

These really are pretty easy and fast to make and because they have no flour, it is gloriously gluten and carb free.

The filling is inspired by one of my favorite creperies, Crepevine.  It is based on their Tuscan crepe, full of delicious ingredients like chicken, tomatoes, spinach and sliced almonds–savory, healthy, filling and great texture.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1 cup cubed rotisserie chicken, shortcup pro tip: Use Costco chicken and combine dark and white meat for good flavor
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup cheddar or provolone cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Combine first 5 ingredients and saute over lightly oiled pan.  You can add a little water, just enough to moisten your mixture.  You can substitute sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil for the fresh tomatoes.  I opted for 1 cup of the baby san marzanos grown in my backyard for a leaner mixture and without all that oil.  Mix in the cheeses and add salt and pepper to taste.  I chose to add the feta last because I like to bite into a salty feta cheese bit instead of having it completely melted into the mixture.

See the bits of feta still recognizable in this mixture

 

It’s best to wrap these when your filling is cold because it’s firm and holds its shape together easier. 

Low Carb Tuscan Egg Crepe–bring on that next reunion.

The boys and I have a tradition of going out to breakfast on week-end mornings. I used to be able to sleep way into the morning and leisurely rise from bed around 930-10AM.  Since J was born, my body clock now dictates a wake up time of 6AM, 6:15 if I’m really living it up.  Pru will tell you there are times when I sleep with one eye open–that’s how radically different my sleep patterns are now, post JJ.  Today, we decided to opt for one of our favorite breakfast places Panera and partake of their spinach and bacon breakfast souffle.  What I like most about it is the light and flaky crust housing an eggy, savory mixture of spinach and bacon.  It’s salty and fatty and decadently perfect.  So imagine my horror and sheer disappointment when I stood in line for 20 minutes at the Fremont Panera only to get to the front and be told, “No soufflés for half an hour.”  It’s 10am  and you don’t have soufflés?!?!  That’s like a bartender saying “We’re out of beer!” in the middle of happy hour.

Undaunted, I decided to recreate my own Panera Baked Egg Souffle which I could have at any moment of the day if I wanted, even at the unheard of time of 10AM.

Sausage and Egg Baked Souffle

Recipe adapted from Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2

Ingredients:

4 links Italian sausage-mild or spicy depending on your preference, cooked and crumbled
2 teaspoons minced onion
5 eggs
1 cup of frozen spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese, whatever you prefer–I used white cheddar
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
1 sheet of puff pastry dough*
melted butter
¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese

 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Beat 4 eggs. Mix in milk, cheeses and salt. Stir in spinach, onion and cooked sausage.
• Microwave egg mixture for 30 seconds on high, and then stir.  This is a critical step, so don’t skip.  Repeat 4 to 5 more times or until you have a very runny scrambled egg mixture. This process will tighten up the eggs enough so that the puff pastry won’t sink into the eggs when it’s folded over.
• Brush melted butter inside four 4-inch baking dishes or ramekins. Line each ramekin with the puff pastry, then spoon equal amounts of egg mixture into each ramekin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of asiago cheese on top of the egg mixture in each ramekin, and then gently fold the puff pastry over the mixture.
• Beat the last egg in a small bowl, then brush beaten egg over the top of the puff pastry in each ramekin, then sprinkle with more Asiago cheese.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the soufflés from each ramekin and serve hot.

*Original recipe called for Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough but I found after making both versions, that puff pastry closely resembled the texture and flavor of Panera’s.