If you put a word counter on Elsa, there would be a few ugly ones topping the most popular list. But if you continue down from “poop” and “pee”, you would eventually find the word “pancakes” on fifth or sixth place on the list.
Our daughter talks about pancakes several times each day. It’s her robotic answer to the question “what would you like to have for dinner?”. Or breakfast. Even if we don’t eat pancakes every day, it is a pretty frequent dish in our home. So to make them more nutritious and interesting, we try to come up with different varieties.
We do whole grain rye pancakes, banana pancakes, almond pancakes, kaniwa pancakes, Indian dosa with sweet potatoes, chocolate pancakes for dessert, baked pancakes and … green hulk pancakes (or Spinach Crêpes as we call them here). They are very simple to make, just mix the batter in a blender together with spinach (or kale) and some fresh herbs. You might want to start out with less spinach and add more as your kids get used to the flavor. The recipe is of course great for adults as well. If you add a bit more fresh herbs to the batter, the pancakes will taste like they are pesto infused. These pancakes are topped with a Chickpea, Apple & Tahini Filling that has a slightly sweet flavor that usually goes well with kids and grown-ups alike.
Here is video from our YouTube channel, showing you how we make them. We use a hand blender in the video, but a stand blender is even easier to use.
Spinach Crêpes with Chickpea, Apple & Tahini Filling
Serves 4
The buckwheat flour we use in Sweden is quite light in colour. If you use a dark buckwheat flour the pancakes will get a more earthy colour than ours.
Crepe batter
1 ½ cup / 225 g buckwheat flour
3 large eggs
2 cups / 500 ml plant milk (we use oat milk)
1 cup / 250 ml water
1 tbsp melted coconut oil or butter (more for frying)
a pinch of sea salt
2 handfuls fresh spinach, rinsed (or thawed frozen)
10 leaves fresh basil (optional)
Chickpea, Apple & Tahini Filling
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
1 organic lemon, juice
2 small apples, grated on a box gratersea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
around 2 cups / 600 g cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
Place all the crepe ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand (immersion) blender until smooth and green. This step can also be done in a regular blender. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
Heat an 8 inch / 20 cm frying pan on medium heat. Add a pinch of oil and when it is melted, about 1/3 cup / 80 ml of the batter. Tilt the pan in circles until the batter is evenly distributed. Fry for about 1 minute on each side, until the pancakes are golden and can be turned easily. Fry all of the pancakes and put on a baking sheet to cool off.
Preparing the filling: Whisk tahini, oil and lemon juice together in a mixing bowl. Add grated apple, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas and mix it with your hands until the chickpeas are coated.
Add a generous dollop of the filling in the centre of each crepe. Fold the crepe over the filling and serve.
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