So, I got inspired by the Cooking Light 60 calorie crepes published in the last issue. I thought - wow - you can get a lot of dessert with that 60 calorie base and some fruit. So, I got to work. I made the crepe batter, sliced up some strawberries, and made a raspberry coulis by cooking frozen raspberries with a teensy bit of splenda and a splash of water, then pureed and strained to get out the seeds.

Cooked the crepes, filled with the strawberries, and topped with 2 tbsp fat free cool whip and the raspberry sauce, and served.

It. Was. So. Good. And EASY. I am definitely going to become a crepe person - they'd always scared me before, but they were actually pretty easy following the Cooking Light recipe (well, not exactly. I used fat free milk, and it worked out just fine). next time I'm going to make the batter with whole wheat flour and fill them with something savory...mmm.

Next time you need a dessert that feels pretty special, try crepes! You could fill with all kinds of fruits - I'm picturing peaches cooked with some raspberries and cinnamon, or apples cooked with cinnamon and nutmeg...endless possibilities!

I checked FitDay and it appears that a regular crepe has 100 calories, so this light version really is, well, light.

Basic Crepes

1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat 1% milk
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 large eggs

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Combine milk, water, melted butter, and eggs in a blender. Add the flour mixture to milk mixture, and process until smooth. Cover batter; chill for 1 hour.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute. Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crepe over, and cook for 30 seconds or until center is set.

Place crepe on a towel; cool completely. Repeat procedure with the remaining batter, stirring batter between crepes. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

Yield: 13 crepes (serving size: 1 crepe)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 62(23% from fat); FAT 1.6g (sat 0.8g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 2.6g; CHOLESTEROL 35mg; CALCIUM 29mg; SODIUM 70mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.9g

Mmmmmm.....sounds great!
Thanks for the recipe and idea! You must be an amazing cook!

I'll try this really soon and will probably substitute eggbeaters for the eggs

Wow!! That sounds so good. But my husband would not it them and I would end up eating them all.

This recipe sounds great and there are lots of different sweet or savory options. Seafood crepes are great and I've had blintz type crepes filled with cottage cheese and topped with strawberries. You could probably freeze them so long as they have the wax or parchment paper in between and pop them in a plastic storage bag. If I didn't freeze them I might be tempted to keep on eating them so they didn't go "bad"

Crepes are great. My hubby loves them. He likes to use honey instead of sugar for sweetening.

I plan on doing an eggbeaters substitute as well.

I also made these in a half batch last night, and they worked out fine (it made 6, plus a teensy bit of extra batter that I just tossed, it wasn't enough for another one).

We used two for two servings of dessert last night - this morning, I cooked up the remaining four crepes and stuffed them with scrambled egg beaters, bell pepper, chive, and a laughing cow garlic and herb. We had two crepes each for breakfast - you just have to stir the refrigerated batter really well before you cook. Served with watermelon and strawberries on the side for a 300 calorie breakfast.

I learned REALLY quickly that I am way too much of a foodie to not enjoy my food...its too much of a pleasure for me. So, I come up with things that taste decadent, but that aren't. Its almost an obsession. I don't use recipes - I just go with what sounds good and experiment.