CHEESE BLINTZES
My low-carb crepes are good for so many things, but this is the original use I had in mind. Sweet, rich, yet light and fluffy – an indulgent treat that will make you feel very special!
Add any flavoring or extract you like to the cheesecake filling and top with berries, sliced fresh peaches, chocolate sauce, or warm orange marmalade. There is no bad way to serve these!
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Crepes:
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons Splenda
Vegetable cooking spray
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In a medium bowl beat the Ricotta with the eggs. Beat in the flour, salt, milk, vanilla, and Splenda. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat with vegetable cooking spray when hot. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and swirl the pan to coat the entire surface in a thin layer. Allow to cook, without turning, until completely done. The top should be no longer shiny and when you touch it it’s not wet. The bottom will be have a very slight golden color. If it’s too dark, lower the heat. (These can be impossible to flip and they don’t need to be, so you don’t have try!) Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and slide out of the pan onto a plate. Very lightly spray the top with vegetable spray – this way you can stack them on top of each other.
Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray before each crepe. Proceed with above directions until batter is gone. Allow the crepes to cool to room temperature and then wrap the plate tightly with plastic wrap. These keep well in the fridge – unfilled – for several days.
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Filling:
One 8-ounce pkg. fat free or reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 – 1/2 cup fat free half & half
3 tablespoons sugar-free instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons Splenda
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In a medium bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the half & half, pudding powder, vanilla, and Splenda. If it becomes too thick add more half & half. It should have the consistency of the ‘whipped’ cream cheese you can buy in a tub. Not soft like pudding, but not as hard as regular cream cheese.
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Extras:
Fresh or frozen berries
Chocolate sauce
Whipped cream
To assemble blintzes: Place 1 tablespoon of the filling on the edge of the crepe. Fold the crepe in half over the filling dollop and then fold the empty side over the dollop so that it is folded in fourths. Place two crepes on each plate and scatter with berries, drizzle with chocolate sauce and top with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings (2 blintzes each)
Per Serving: Calories 180; Protein 16 g; Fat 6 g; Carbs 11 g; Sugar 5 g; Sodium 415 mg
