The Crepelet: Breakfast for Dinner Is The Best Meal
Is it a crepe? It is an omelet? Yes. No. It’s the crepelet, a hybrid protein rocket launcher soon to be the superhero of your kitchen. It works for breakfast; it’ll save you when you don’t know what to make for dinner. (Answer: breakfast for dinner!) It works for baby; it’ll be your new favorite, too. Easy, nutritious, customizable, scalable—it checks all boxes.
(The recipe is proportioned to make one large pan-sized crepe or two smaller ones (see recipe photo)—enough for roughly 2-3 meals for your child or one meal if split between a child and a modestly hungry adult. To make more servings, simply increase the amount of ingredients in proportion to servings (i.e., six eggs for three large or six small crepes).)
- 1/4 cup Chickpea (almond flour also a good choice; all-purpose flour can be used, too)
- 1/4 cup Milk (plant- or cow-based)
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 small Broccoli Crown
- Seasonings of your choice
- Mix flour and milk of choice in a bowl until well combined; let sit for 20-30 minutes.
- While the batter comes together, steam or boil the broccoli head until the top is soft, roughly 2-3 minutes. Remove and let cool; when at room temperature, shave off the top of the crown so that you have a large pile of broccoli shards and set aside.
- Break the eggs into the bowl and your seasonings; mix until blended. Add the chopped-up broccoli to the mix and blend in.
- Heat a large frying pan to Medium, with a thin layer of olive oil covering the bottom of the pan.
- Once the pan is hot, empty the batter into the pan and tilt/spread it out so that most of, if not the entire, bottom of the pan is covered.
- Cook, untouched, until the top is no longer runny, roughly 2 ½ to 3 minutes; flip the pancake over. (Pro tip: if your broccoli pieces are large and/or not particularly evenly distributed, cut the crepe in half and flip both pieces separately.)
- Press the crepelet down for a few seconds to ensure all sides are touching the pan, then cook for an additional two minutes.
- Remove from heat. If using, sprinkle with cheese and additional herbs or seasonings (e.g., sesame seeds) as desired. Allow to cool.
Cut into long thin slices for children between nine to twelve months; cut into small, fork-ready pieces for those around 12 months. I actually prefer to carve it up as thin pizza-like wedges; you can even add tomato sauce (or ketchup) and cheese on top to replicate the look of pizza. I did so during a particularly fussy period of eating when my son was 15 months; he never failed to eat at least two slices of it. For your own Crepelet, I recommend approaching it like a quiche or salad pizza and top with leafy greens, which you can do so easily by sauteing spinach or kale and sliced mushrooms, then placing over the top. Dress lightly: soy, furikake, and lime is a favorite in our house; so, too, is a simple vinaigrette of lemon, olive oil, and mustard, and whatever fresh herbs we have.
What’s lovely about the recipe is that nearly every ingredient can be swapped with an alternative and you can still get delicious results—just be sure and keep the proportions the same. Finely shredded/chopped-up leafy greens like spinach or kale can sub in for or be added to the broccoli. Regular ol’ flour works; so does any nut flour. The Crepelet is a good vessel for introducing green herbs–basil, cilantro, rosemary, etc.--as well as for mixes with umami flavors (e.g., Everything-Bagel, furikake).
Looking for something more substantial (and for the whole family)? Try our broccoli dutch baby pancake.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
