My first savory crepe

Summer Vegetable Crepes (302 calories)
via eatingwell.com

The filling and then the final product

1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
3 Tbs low-fat milk
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/4 cups chopped green beans - we used frozen
1 cup fresh corn kernels - we used frozen
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4, 9-inch “ready-to-use” crepes

• Stir sour cream, 1/4 cup chives, milk, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl until combined - set aside.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add zucchini, green beans, and corn. Cook, stirring until beginning to brown - about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low; stir in ricotta, Monterey Jack, the remaining 1/4 cup chives, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring gently until the cheese is melted - about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat.
• To roll crepes, place one on a piece of parchment or wax paper (or leave it on the piece of plastic separating the crepes in the package).
• Spoon one-fourth of the vegetable-cheese mixture (about 3/4 cup) down the center of the crepe.
• Use the paper to help you gently roll the crepe around the filling.
• Place the crepe seam-side down on a dinner plate. Repeat with the remaining crêpes and filling.
• Serve each crepe topped with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and more chives, if desired.

Though it is convenient to use "ready-to-use" crepes, it is also pretty easy to make your own! We use Alton Brown's recipe - he even includes a helpful video. Do note that if you make the crepe yourself the batter will have to sit in the fridge for at least an hour - so, plan ahead.

Farmer's market follow-up

Back in Nov, I posted a little blurb about the Milwaukee Winter Farmer's Market. Well, it took me until the final day (April 14th) to make my way to the market. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was pretty happy with the options.

View of about 1/2 of the market

There were only a couple of traditional farmer's market tables with a lot of root vegetables, greens, and mushrooms. There was also a lot of other food to choose from such as cheese, beef, fish, lamb, honey, wine, and soup as well as fresh flowers and even something for your dog! Overall, it was good and I would probably go back a few times next winter. The event is free, the parking is free, and it's small enough that you won't get lost.


We ended up buying a fish bundle from Rushing Waters, the mushroom medley and pickled mushrooms from River Valley Ranch, and a lamb loin chop from Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms. All of these items could make an amazing winter meal; however, I'm only going to share one of them with you for now :-)

Shiitake mushroom soup
via Betty Crocker

8oz dried Chinese noodles
3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
3 oz fresh shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup snap pea pods
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp soy sauce

• Cook noodles
• In a separate saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients.
• Heat over medium until boiling. Boil for 3 min.
• Add noodles and reduce heat to simmer - for about 3 min.

Eat your veggies!

Every other Friday or so, my cousin and I get together with our men and have game night. Before we start the games we always cook dinner. Normally, it's fried fish and french fries, but my cousin's fiance wanted to eat a little healthier so i decided to look for a roasted veggie for a side dish. Sooo, I went to the trustworthy foodnetwork.com and found a great recipe. I went and read the reviews and saw that someone posted a few alternatives to the recipe and i tried it and loved it!!

Below is the original, with my alterations.

Oven roasted vegetables
2 medium parsnips, peeled and quartered or 3 large parsnips,
peeled and cut into quarters - zucchini
2 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
8 small red potatoes, halved if large - didn't use
2 small white turnips, quartered - 1 large yam
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 white pearl onions, peeled
4 cloves garlic, trimmed but unpeeled
1 large portobello mushroom
8 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed - button mushrooms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon thyme leaves - didn't use
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leafed parsley, leaves - didn't use
Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large bowl, toss the parsnips, carrots, potatoes and turnips, in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, plus a little salt and pepper, until coated.
• Arrange the vegetables cut-side down on a large baking sheet and roast on the bottom shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are beginning to brown.
• Turn the vegetables 2 or 3 times during cooking to prevent burning.
• In the same bowl, toss the pearl onions, garlic and portobello mushroom with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus a little salt and pepper, until coated. Add this mixture to the baking sheet of vegetables and gently stir to combine.
• Continue roasting for 7 to10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of salted water to boil and blanch the Brussels sprouts for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Drain thoroughly under cold running water. Set aside separately.
• In a small bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms and the Brussels sprouts and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus a little salt and pepper, until coated.
• Add them to the baking sheet of vegetables, stirring to combine.
• Dot the butter over the vegetables and sprinkle with 1/4 cup wine.
• Roast for another 7 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the vegetables from the oven and gently mix them with the thyme and parsley before serving.

Delicious!!!!! I could eat it every day. The mushrooms were my favorite part.
If you're lucky I'll share the amazing chicken recipe we had with it :-)