Vegetarian Low Fat Ratatouille Crepes with Red Pepper Sauce

This is one of my favorite recipes. Almost no fat, an explosion of flavors, and unique enough to serve to company.

This recipe does take a fair amount of time to make...but it's manageable as a week night dinner if you break up the prep.

In the morning, before work, I make the crepe batter and chop the ingredients for the Ratatouille. I cook the Ratatouille (below) while I make the Red Pepper Sauce. While the sauce boils, I cook the crepes. With a little multi-tasking, it's not too time consuming...and well worth the effort.

Ratatouille Crepe Filling:
....modified from a recipe in Cooking Light

1 large eggplant chopped
2 medium zucchini chopped
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 white onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 TBS chopped fresh basil
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450

To prepare filling:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle with salt
Toss to coat

Spread vegetable mixture in an even layer on cookie pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sea salt; mist with olive oil (use a Misto)

Bake at 450 for 35 minutes stirring half way through.

Transfer vegetable mixture to bowl; cool. Stir in basil & parsley

Mix in 3 TBS Red Pepper Sauce (recipe below)

Crepes:
....modified from a recipe in the Williams-Sonoma cookbook

2 eggs (egg beaters work fine as a substitute to cut fat)
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 cup flour (I like King Arthur)
1/4 tsp salt

In a food processor, blend ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Gently whisk the batter. Heat a crepe pan, coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Lift the pan from the heat and pour in 1/8 cup of batter, tilting and rotating the pan to coat the surface. Cook until almost dry on top and lightly browned on edges, about 1 minute. Loosen the edges with a spatula and flip the crepe over, then cook the other side another 15-20 seconds. Turn the crepe onto a plate covered with parchment or waxed paper. Repeat with remaining batter, layering parchment or waxed paper between each crepe.


Red Pepper Sauce:

1 tsp olive oil
2 red peppers chopped coarsely
2 shallots minced
2 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves minced
3 cups fat free chicken broth (I prefer Swanson)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Tabasco (optional - if you like a little kick)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, thyme and garlic. Saute 2 minutes. Add peppers, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 30-40 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup. Discard thyme, add Tabasco and vinegar. Cool for 5 minutes, pour into Cuisinart or blender (with center piece removed to allow steam to escape and towel over center to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth and place back into sauce pan to warm.

To Assemble:

Spoon 3 TBS of Ratatouille in center of each crepe.
Fold sides and ends over.
Place seam side down in a baking dish
Bake at 500 for 10 minutes
Top with Red Pepper Sauce & Parsley (if desired)

Serve with Couscous & Enjoy.

Bon Appetit!