In Short Order - Part IV

Every morning on my way to the train I see a line two blocks long of hungry, harried and annoyed people waiting for their muffin or donut, and coffee. Awful muffins, awful donuts, awful coffee, and you must wait for it! Or lining up at the smoothie joints that have recently sprang up all over town, ostensibly for our convenience, but definitely not for our enjoyment or good health. Since morning time is at such a premium, I am sharing my ridiculously simple (non) secrets with you: Make it! Faster, better, more nutritious, and best of all, with ample leftovers. In much less time than it takes to buy a mediocre institutional breakfast "treat", you can make enough fabulous and nutritious crepes, omelets or smoothies for six people, or single servings that will last you several days.

Basic Savory Crêpe Batter

My children grew up on crêpes—we just had to have them at least once a week. They are so much fun no one will ever know they are actually eating healthy food. There is only a small ratio principle to keep in mind for perfect ethereal paper-thin crêpes: 4 eggs or egg substitute (see below), 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 cups liquid. That's the whole thing. Play with this, and get different and exciting results each time.

Crêpes are a wonderful choice when you have company: make them while you are talking to your family or guests, and have fun with the fillings. Whole wheat pastry flour, being ground very fine, retains all its nutrients and is almost every bit as light as white flour, whereas regular whole wheat flour is very coarsely ground and allits bran and chaff settle heavily and unappealingly on your finished product. You will be amazed at the wonderful selection of flours you will find at health food stores. And the fillings are a great way to recycle leftover chicken or vegetables.

The crêpe mixture can be made even a couple days in advance. Don't worry if it settles and starts looking somewhat unappealing, just give it a few more turns in the blender before using. If the mixture thickens while it sits, thin it with a little liquid.

Makes a good dozen, enough for 4 servings.

• 4 eggs1 (8 egg whites if you can't afford the cholesterol in egg yolks)
• 2 cups flour, any flour: all purpose, whole wheat pastry, spelt, quinoa, millet, chickpea, buckwheat, oat, etc.
• 2 1/2 cups cold liquid, in any combination: seltzer, water, wine, milk or non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, oat, grain)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Pinch salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Making the crêpes: Spray a 9-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and let it get really hot. Pour just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan (use a very small ladle or pour sparingly from a cup equipped with a spout, like a glass measuring cup or the blender itself). Start with the center of the skillet and swirl the batter in the pan all around to ensure that the bottom is very thinly and evenly coated. After a few seconds, the edges will start detaching from the bottom of the pan, and the top will look dry. Turn the crêpe over and cook for a few more seconds. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the pan each time. Use your favorite filling and roll or fold the crêpe over it, or fold and use the filling as a topping. Eat hot.

Basic dessert crêpe batter: Same as above plus: 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla.

Crêpes fillings:

Creamed spinach filling

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups soy or other non-dairy milk (rice, oat, or grain)
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Pinch nutmeg

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Lower the heat and add the flour. Cook two minutes, whisking, until the flour gets a light brown color. Add the milk in a very slow stream, whisking constantly. The mixture will get thick in about a minute. Add spinach and remaining seasonings and cook 1 more minute.

Chicken filling: Substitute 2 cups cooked diced chicken for the spinach.

Vegetable filling: 2 cups sautéed mushrooms, onions, broccoli, pepper, zucchini, tomato, etc.

Cheese filling: I beg you, no store-bought pre-grated packaged cheese. Same calories, no taste. Rather, buy yourself a Microplane grater and grate from a chunk of cheese as you need it in just a few seconds. Grate some intensely flavored cheese such as cheddar, Kashkeval, Swiss cheese or Parmesan (you need much less of it than if you were using a milder-flavored cheese) on the finished crêpe before folding, and add a few grinds of black pepper.

Herb crêpes: Add your favorite herbs directly into your savory crêpe batter: chopped dill, oregano, parsley, thyme, chives, etc. If all you have on hand are dried herbs, go for it.

Caviar filling: Fold the finished crêpe, and top with a little plain yogurt and a good quality caviar or smoked salmon.

Jam filling: Spread some good brand all-fruit jam on a finished dessert crêpe.

Nut butter filling: Spread your favorite nut butter, or peanut butter chocolate spread on a finished dessert crêpe.

Apple filling: use with dessert crêpes

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 granny smith apples, peeled and cut in thin wedges
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum or brandy

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the apples and sauté at high temperature until golden. Add remaining ingredients and cook one more minute.

Omelets

If you are making more than one omelet, use a larger skillet and double, even triple the recipe. You can use all the same sweet and savory fillings and toppings used in crêpes. Here the secret is to never let the custard overcook or it will toughen.

• 2 eggs, or 4 egg whites
• 1/4 cup milk (any milk) or water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together. Spray a 10-inch non-stick skillet with vegetable spray, heat until very hot. Pour the mixture in the skillet, swirling it evenly. Lift the edges with a knife to shift the mixture from the top to the bottom, repeat in several spots. As soon as the mixture looks barely firm, turn off the flame. Use your favorite fillings before folding.

Smoothies

Smoothies are a wonderful way to sneak in all the nutrient-rich foods your family and friends would ordinarily eat only sparingly, if at all, and you can make endless variations. My trick is to use frozen fruit instead of ice. In one fell swoop, you get the fruit and the ice and so much more flavor. Plus, frozen fruit often tastes even better than fresh because it is picked at its ripest and sweetest, and it requires no cleaning or rinsing. Bananas got too ripe? Just stick them in the freezer, the riper the better, and when you are ready to use them run them under warm water—the peels will come right off. Make a large smoothie batch and refrigerate the rest right in the blender for later. If the mixture separates, give the blender a few turns again. If you are thinking of offering grownup brunch drinks, simply add half a cup of vodka to the mix!

Berry smoothies: Makes 5 cups

• 1 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt, silken tofu, soy or other non-dairy milk (rice, grain, oat, almond)
• 2 cups frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, alone or in any combination)
• 2 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or cranberry or pomegranate concentrate (found in health food stores), only if you like it sweeter

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Green smoothies: Makes 5 cups.

Try your best to stick some of the fruit in the freezer before blending, even for an hour or so. No need to have all of these fruit on hand; even a combination of two in larger amounts will be delicious.

• 1 cup green grapes
• 1 large pear or green apple, unpeeled, cut in chunks
• 3 ripe kiwis, peeled
• 1 cup chunks honeydew melon
• 1 cup white grape juice or natural apple cider
• A few leaves fresh mint, if you have them on hand

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Chocolate almond date smoothie: Makes 5 cups.

Consider this a whole meal. Nutritious and fabulous! This is the only smoothie I use ice with, to chill the heated mixture.

• 1/2 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup pitted dates, packed
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup plain yogurt, silken tofu, soy milk or any other non-dairy milk (rice, grain, oat, almond)
• A dozen ice cubes

Place the almonds, dates, cocoa, and water in the blender. Cover and let the mixture rest, unblended, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the yogurt, tofu or milk, and ice and blend a full minute at high speed until thick and frothy.

Tropical smoothies: Makes about 6 cups.

If you decide to get a little naughtier with this smoothie, add 1/2 cup dark rum.

(You know how the saying goes: If you can't go to the tropics . . .)

• 2 cups canned unsweetened pineapple chunks, juice and all
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups cubed mango, papaya, or peaches (frozen is best)
• 1 banana (frozen is best)

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Beet smoothies: Makes 1 serving.

Here is your chance to eat your beets! Who knew they were so delicious? I did— we grew up eating them everyday. Here in America, they are virtually the stepchild of the vegetable family, and I wish them to be totally and wholeheartedly adopted. They are so good for you!

• 1 small can beets, juice and all
• 1 cup plain yogurt, silken tofu or unflavored soy yogurt

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Yogurt-Berry Granola Dessert

Dessert in less than one minute—and so delicious! For each serving: fill a glass half full with vanilla yogurt, top with your favorite berries, fresh or frozen and thawed, drizzle with a little maple syrup. Top with granola.

Muffins

I will only include one recipe and its variations, but you will get an idea of all the possibilities, all equally delicious and nutritious. You will never ever buy a muffin mix again. This makes a dozen and more, in less than ten minutes' preparation time.

• Vegetable spray
• 1 cup milk, soy milk or any other non-dairy milk (rice, oat, almond, grain)
• 2 large eggs or 4 egg whites
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and grated coarse in a food processor
• 2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable spray. Combine the milk, eggs, oil, brown sugar and apples, and mix thoroughly. In another bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins, and nuts. Add the dry mixture to the milk mixture. Combine gently but thoroughly with a spoon, taking care not to over mix, which toughens the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

All substitutions in equal amounts:

• For the all purpose flour, substitute whole wheat pastry or spelt flour.
• For the oil, substitute coconut or flax oil, tehina or any natural nut butter.
• For raisins, substitute dried cranberries or other chopped dry fruit (prunes, apricots, dates, figs, etc.).
• For grated apple, substitute grated carrot or zucchini.
• For walnuts, substitute almonds or pumpkin, flax, sesame or sunflower seeds.
• For brown sugar, substitute sucanat, rapadura, date sugar, or malt sugar (health food stores).
• For cinnamon, substitute ground ginger, cardamom or allspice.
• For rolled oats, substitute barley, quinoa, spelt, soy or other flakes.
• To replace one egg in nearly any recipe, mix 1 tablespoon flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water.

To make a loaf: This batter will make a delicious bread loaf. Bake in a greased loaf pan in a preheated 350ºF oven, 45 minutes to one hour, until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.