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The good folks at Lee Financial Group Hawaii sound like serious food lovers.
They keep a hot plate and toaster oven at work for makeshift cooking at the office and they read Crave at the lunch table on Wednesdays (so I am naturally inclined to like them).
They emailed a group request: “Everyone here is really trying to be healthier. But the abundance of food in the office is overwhelming. Our request is a sugar-free recipe.”
Not free of all sugars, they said, but of processed sugar or artificial sweeteners — and as a bonus, something they could make in the office.
August has been my month of -free, with recipes clear of some dietary target: gluten-free in the first week, followed by meat-free and carb-free.
So this week, for Lee Financial, an almost-sugar-free dessert that I do believe could be made on a hot plate.
These coconut crepes are sweetened only by the fruits used in the filling. (And if you don’t like coconut, variations follow the recipe for making vanilla or other flavors.)
Crepes are just a little trickier to make than pancakes. Your first efforts may be a little thick or oddly shaped, but you’ll get better by the time you use up all the batter.
Fillings are the fun part. For an office party, assign people to bring in various items and you’ll have a nice mix-and-match crepe buffet:
>> Fresh whipped cream: Beat heavy whipping cream until light and fluffy; stir in some vanilla. Normally you’d add powdered sugar, but with vanilla it’s nice unsweetened.
>> Fruit: Sliced bananas, strawberries, peaches and/or mango; whole blueberries or raspberries; or spreads with no added sugar, such as Simply Fruit.
>> Nut butters: Peanut butter with those sliced bananas is especially good, just be sure the peanut butter isn’t made with sugar. Almond and cashew butters are naturally sweeter than peanut — some natural foods stores will let you grind your own.
>> Cheese spreads: Try mascarpone, cream cheese or ricotta (again, check the label for sugar).
>> Savories: Anything you’d normally put in an omelet could go in a crepe, such as sauteed mushrooms or spinach, bacon or sausage, caramelized onions, shredded cheese, avocado, sliced tomatoes or deli meats.
Sugar-Free Coconut Crepes
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/4 cups coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sift flour and salt together into small bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk eggs and coconut milk together, then whisk in extract. Gradually add flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Add enough water to make a thin batter.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium; add oil and wipe with paper towel to spread evenly. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet, then tilt pan to spread batter into a thin disc (if batter won’t spread enough add more water). When surface is dry and bottom is light brown, turn crepe using a thin spatula. Remove when firm and second side is mostly brown (it may be splotchy in color).
Continue with remaining batter, but without adding more oil unless crepes begin to stick to pan. Makes 8 crepes.
Approximate nutritional information, per unfilled crepe: 150 calories, 9 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, no fiber or sugar, 4 g protein.
Variations: For different crepe flavors, use whole milk in place of the coconut milk and vanilla or other extract (such as almond, lemon or caramel) in place of coconut extract.
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