I grew up eating these crepe like creations called “blintzes” Blintze is a Yiddish word.  They are similar to crepes (French) or palatschinke (Austrian/Bavarian).  Essentially they are a thin pancake that can be filled with anything – savory or sweet.  As a kid some of my favorites were blueberry or cheese filled blintzes.  Instead of eating them immediately after they have been filled and rolled like crepes, blintzes are lightly pan fried.

For tonight’s trio I choose to make potato-onion (these taste a bit like pierogi), broccoli-spinach-mushroom, and apple cinnamon.  I served with a bit of low fat sour cream.  Greek yogurt works great too.

For the “shel”l of the blintze I  use a basic crepe batter recipe and form the crepes with my electric crepe maker. You can also cook them in a small non-stick pan as well.

Batter recipe (filling recipes below)

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• non stick spray for the crepe maker
• oil for non stick pan.

Blend all items together in a blender for about 10 seconds.  Let batter rest in refrigerator for an hour to allow the bubbles to settle. Make crepes, allowing them to lay flat as they cool.  Fill crepes with your favorite filling and then roll them like a burrito.  In a non stick pan heat oil over medium heat, place filled blintze in pan and cook until lightly browned on each side.  Serve hot or cold.

Potato-Onion Filling

• 2 potatoes peeled and cooked
• 1 onion diced and saute’d
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mash all ingredients together in a bowl.

– Apple Cinnamon Blintze

Apple Cinnamon Filling

• 3 apples, peeled cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• handful of raisins (optional)

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until apples are tender. Let cool before filling.

Broccoli-Spinach-Mushroom Filling

• 1 cup broccoli – cut in to small florets
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup mushrooms – sliced
• 2 gloves garlic – diced
• 2 Tablespoons of potato filling
• oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic in oil until lightly brown. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add broccoli and cook for 5 minutes.  Add spinach and cook until wilted. Put all ingredients in mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of potato filling. Salt and pepper to taste.