Loaded Rainbow Crepes

Makes 8 Crepes (2 of each colour)

Rainbow crepes in (admittedly perhaps, too early) preparation for one of my very favourite days of the year — Pancake Day! What is your go-to flavour? Ever since I was little, I always hosted a Pancake Party and had somewhat of a buffet for people to go along and choose a multitude of toppings. I love crepes so much but oddly just don’t (for no apparent reason whatsoever), make them any other day of the year. Each year when I tuck in to the culinary delight that is a loaded crepe, I promise myself I will make them weekly, and yet never do. Perhaps that’s why I love them so much, it’s a real annual treat. But I am a firm believer that just one topping is never enough. I need options. I ALWAYS finish the experience with a lemon and sugar one, and view it as some sort of sophisticated palate cleanser like they serve in fancy restaurants. A sort of dessert after dessert if you will. But what I start with, or have as my crepe ‘main course’ changes each time. So this year, I wanted to make a vegan (and somewhat healthier) version of all of the classics, but without compromising on taste of course.

The blue one is naturally coloured with some Butterfly Pea Flower Powder and is stuffed with blood orange chia jam and sprinkled with dark chocolate shavings, like a fancy Jaffa (Pan)Cake.

The pink one is naturally coloured with Pitaya Powder and is stuffed with caramelised bananas and chocolate hazelnut sauce, with a sprinkling of toasted almonds, like a grown-up version of bananas and Nutella.

The green one is naturally coloured with Matcha Powder and is filled with toasted marshmallows and strawberry stars.

And lastly, the yellow one is naturally coloured with Turmeric and is stuffed with griddled lemon & maple cream, much like a fancy version of my palette cleanser — the classic lemon & sugar.

INGREDIENTS

For the Crepes

· 1 x Packet Sweet Pea Pantry Grainy Brainy Pancake Mix (or any mix of your choice)
· 250ml Almond Milk (or milk of your choice)
· 1 Flax-egg or regular Egg if not vegan
· Coconut Oil for frying

Optional Natural Colourings

· 1 tsp Turmeric
· 1 tsp Pitaya Powder
· 1 tsp Matcha Powder
· 1 tsp Butterfly Pea Flower Powder

For the Fillings

Note — the recipes below make 2 crepes per colour, so if you want more of one particular filling, just double or triple those ingredients.

Yellow

· 3 Lemons
· 3 tbsp Maple Syrup
· 3 tbsp Oat Cream (or normal cream if not vegan)
· 1 Tbsp Tahini

Pink

· 1 Banana
· 50g Good quality Dark Chocolate
· 50g Hazelnut Butter
· Handful of Flaked Almonds

Green

· Handful of Marshmallows
· Handful of Strawberries

Blue

· Juice & Zest of 5 Blood Oranges
· 4 tbsp Chia Seeds
· 1 tbsp Coconut Sugar
· Dark Chocolate Shavings

METHOD

For the Fillings

Yellow

· Griddle thin slices of 1 lemon until they start to brown on both side. Set aside.
· In a saucepan, mix 3 tbsp maple syrup, 3 tbsp oat cream (I used Oatly) and 1 tbsp Tahini together.
· Heat on a low heat for 5 mins and whisk together.
· When the crepe is ready squeeze juice from half a lemon, smother with maple cream, and top with the griddled lemon slices.

Pink

· Melt 50g good quality dark chocolate on a low setting in the microwave in 30 second increments.
· Once melted, add 50g hazelnut butter and heat again on low for another minute, in 30 second increments.

· Combine well.
· Dry fry the flaked almonds in a clean frying pan (no oil) over a medium heat for a few minutes, constantly shaking the pan to make sure they don’t burn.
· Carefully slice the banana in half lengthways, and caramelise on a griddle pan over a medium heat until browning on one side.
· When the crepe is ready, slice the banana, smother with the chocolate sauce and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.

Green

· Pierce the marshmallow with a metal skewer and toast on an open flame until golden (I used the flame from my gas hob).
· Once you have toasted several marshmallows, place them on the crepe, add the sliced strawberries and drizzle a little bit of the chocolate sauce from above.

Blue

· Put the juice and zest from 5 blood oranges in a small non stick saucepan, along with 4 tbsp chia seeds and 1 tbsp coconut sugar. Mix well.
· Heat slowly on a low heat for 10 minutes until a jam-like consistency has formed.
· Add a couple of tbsp to the crepe and sprinkle with shaved dark chocolate.

For the Crepes

· In a large bowl, sift in the flour mixture and make a well for the egg/flax egg.
· Starting in the middle, combine the egg and flour mixture.
· Slowly add the milk, a little at a time and whisk together until all the lumps have gone.
· Once you are ready to start cooking, heat a 1tsp of coconut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
· Ladle in the crepe mixture and spread until a large circle has formed.
· Cook until starting to go golden on one side.
· Flip over and cook the other side until golden too.
· Now it’s time to start stuffing with your pre-prepared fillings and enjoy!