Savory Crêpes with Easy “Hollandaise” Sauce

This recipe was first conceived of when I wrote a feature for the blog Our Hen House about what led me to work for PETA back in 2004. It was a piece about how I’ve always felt a duty to advocate for animals because they can’t speak for themselves. Or as I so ineloquently put it in the feature: Bunnies can’t type, so I need to.

When people ask why we’re vegans, we always answer: “Because we love animals and don’t want to contribute to a system that is built on their suffering.” And that’s always true, but we don’t care why you’re enjoying a vegan meal. You can enjoy the health and financial benefits, while doing something good for the environment and saving animals all at the same time—just by choosing to leave the eggs and dairy out of your crêpes.

• ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise (we recommend Vegenaise or Just Mayo)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 1½ cups white flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 2 cups soy milk
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine, softened
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• Olive oil cooking spray

• 4 teaspoons olive oil (you may need a little more if your vegetables are large)
• 12 asparagus spears
• 4 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Chopped fresh chives and smoked paprika, for garnish (optional)

How to make Savory Crêpes with Easy “Hollandaise” Sauce ?

Make the easy “hollandaise” sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the vegan mayo, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice until completely blended. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Make the crêpes: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, soy milk, vegan margarine, and applesauce and blend until smooth using an electric handheld mixer.

Lightly coat a cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, use a ladle to pour ¼ cup of the batter into the skillet. Immediately rotate the skillet by rolling your wrist while holding the handle until a thin layer of batter covers the bottom. If your skillet is heavy, use a potholder to hold the other side of the skillet and use both hands to rotate the skillet. Cook until the batter begins to look dry and a light brown edge forms. Run a wide spatula along the edge to loosen the crepe, then flip it and cook the other side until light brown. Transfer the crepe to a plate, top with a piece of waxed paper, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat until you have used all the crepe batter.

Make the filling: In the same skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium heat, rotating the skillet to coat the bottom with the hot oil. Place some asparagus in a single layer in the pan; you’ll probably have to cook the vegetables in batches, so don’t worry if they don’t all fit. Roll the asparagus with a spatula until coated in the hot oil, cover, and cook for 30 seconds. Toss in the mushrooms, shallots, and 2 teaspoons of the balsamic vinegar. Toss the vegetables lightly so they get an even coating of the oil and vinegar. Cover and cook for another minute. Once the asparagus is tender, remove the vegetables from the heat and use a fork to check if the asparagus is done. Repeat, using more olive oil and vinegar as needed, until all of the vegetables are cooked.

To serve, place a flat crepe on a plate and set 2 or 3 spears of asparagus in the center, along with some shallots and mushrooms. Fold the sides of the crepe up over the vegetables and pour some “hollandaise” sauce over the top to secure the fold. Sprinkle some chives and smoked paprika over the sauce, if desired, for a little color and flavor. Repeat until all the crepes have been filled.