Gluten-Free and Vegan Hazelnut Crepes

My friend Kelly is due to have a baby at the end of July, and yesterday our friend Wendi hosted a baby shower for Kelly at Wendi's house. I've been to a few baby showers, and even co-hosted one a few years ago in Spokane, but it was fun to attend one that was low-key and full of friends, good food, and mimosas.

The decorations were done by the hostess Wendi, and they were lovely.

Kelly requested crepes for the brunch, so Wendi asked me to come up with a gluten-free and vegan option for the four of us who were gluten-intolerant. I found the following recipe at a dedicated gluten-free grocery store while I was on vacation in Sacramento, CA. I had to tweak the original recipe (by Mary Mieth, of Dancing in the Kitchen) just a bit, but in the end, I made some pretty delicious crepes.

I also made a vegan version of the classic chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella, raw cashew cream, and sliced garden-fresh strawberries mixed with agave. Other guests provided sliced bananas, peaches, blueberries, and soy whip as additional toppings.

Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan Crepes
Makes 3-4 small crepes
Ingredients:
3/4 c. hazelnut meal
2 T. ground flax seed
1/4 c. tapioca or potato starch
1/2 T. mild-tasting oil
1/2 t. salt
about 1 c. water (or more as needed)

Prepare:

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Let sit at least an hour or up to overnight before going on to the next steps. 
2. Lightly spray a pre-heated crepe pan with oil or spread on Earth Balance butter. Scoop a large spoonful of crepe batter onto the pan and spread to make a thin layer.
3. Let cook 3-4 minutes, or until the crepe easily pulls away from the pan. Using a spatula, flip over and cook the other side 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles start forming. Repeat until the batter is gone.