GLUTEN FREE VEGAN CHEESE BLINTZES with DAIRY FREE instructions.

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

    After creating my recipe for GF Cheese Blintzes I made a dairy free version for some friends.  I had been meaning to post the dairy free filling ingredients, but had been waiting to be able to add a vegan crepe recipe as well.  Well, I finally did it.  A vegan crepe with a vegan filling that tastes as good as a ‘real’ cheese blintz. OK, it is not the same and would not be mistaken for a dairy full one, but it tastes really really good.

     I converted a vegan crepe recipe into a gluten free one.  The filling recipe I created from scratch using tofu and dairy free cream cheese.

     The vegan crepes are a bit more difficult to make than the ones with egg.  It is important to cook the first side really well before attempting to turn it over.  The batter is very gummy if it is undercooked. I tried to turn the first one too soon and it clumped together into a gooey glob.  It took 1½ - 2 minutes for each side.  I ended up turning the heat down so the crepes would not brown so much while cooking.  The texture of the cooked vegan crepe is just right for blintzes. 

     No gums were needed for the crepe or the filling.  They held together fine without binders or egg replacers.  These blintzes can be frozen and heated up later to use as desired.  

   

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN CHEESE BLINTZES

Makes 12

CREPES

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups/150 gm	Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup/70 gm	White Rice Flour (superfine grind)
1/4 cup/32 gm	Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup	Sugar
1/4 tsp.	Himalayan Sea Salt
1 cup	Water
1 cup	Non Dairy Milk of choice - I used almond

Directions

1. In a large bowl add the flours, sugar & salt and mix well.
2. Add the water and non dairy milk and whisk together until the batter is smooth and lump free.
3. Allow to rest for 1 hour. (This is a good time to make the filling)
4. When ready to cook the crepes, heat a crepe pan using a low/medium heat.
5. Use vegan margarine to grease the pan.
6. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan while tilting and turning the pan to spread the batter all over the bottom.  If there are holes use a spoon to drop and spread some batter to patch the holes.
7. Cook the crepe 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until the top is dry and the bottom is a bit firm.

   

   Vegan crepe cooking.

    
8. Flip the crepe over and cook on the other side another 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.

   

   Flipping the crepe with wooden tongs.

   
   

   

   Cooking the second side of the crepe.
   I lowered the heat for the rest of the crepes
   so that they would not brown so much.

9. Place the cooked crepe on a plate.  Pile the cooked crepes between pieces of plastic wrap.

DAIRY FREE CREPES

Dairy Free egg crepes with tofu filling.

If you can eat eggs I recommend that you use the crepe recipe on my blog that I used for regular blintzes.  They are easier to cook.

FILLING

Ingredients

1 lb.	Extra Firm Tofu - pressed and drained
1/4 cup/4 oz.	Non Dairy Cream Cheese
1/4 cup	Sugar
2 tsp.	Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp.	Himalayan Sea Salt

Directions

1) Press the excess water out of the tofu by putting the block of tofu between two flat plates.  Then put something heavy on the top plate to help to press out the water.  I use canned foods.  Every 10 minutes or so pour off the excess water.

Undrained tofu on a flat plate.

Undrained tofu on flat plat with second plate on top.

Using a can of tomatoes as a weight on top
of the plate to help press the water out of the tofu.

Tofu after pressing and draining the excess water out.

2) Add the pressed and drained tofu to a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher until there are no lumps.

The rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

Drained and pressed tofu added to the bowl with the other ingredients.

All the ingredients mashed together until lump free.
I used a potato masher, it works fast and easily.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together with a spoon until well combined.

ASSEMBLE THE BLINTZES

1. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on the bottom third of one crepe.  I prefer to have the crepe’s side that was cooked last facing up.

   

   Crepe with 2 Tbs. of filling on the bottom third.

2. Fold up the crepe to encapsulate the filling.

   

   The bottom of the crepe folded up to encapsulate the filling.

3. Fold one side of the crepe, then the other.

   

   Folding one side of the crepe.

   
   

   

   The second side of the crepe folded.

4. Roll up the cheese encapsulated part until you have a small egg roll or burrito shaped tube.

   

   Rolling up the crepe in to a 'burrito'.

5. Repeat with the remaining crepes.

   

   The crepe rolled up into a blintz.

   
   

   

   The bottom of the blintz.
   Note the seam.
   This side gets cooked first when heating the blintzes.

COOKING THE ASSEMBLED BLINTZES

1. Heat a pan over low - medium heat and melt some vegan margarine in it.
2. Heat the crepes, a few at a time, seam side down, in the pan.  The crepe should be lightly browned on that side.

   

   Heating and browning the blintz seam side down first.

3. Turn the crepe over and lightly brown the second side.  The blintzes should be lightly browned on both sides and heated in the center when done.

   

   A browned and heated blintz.

4. Serve with dairy free sour cream, or yogurt and fruit preserves.  Some people like them with maple syrup and ‘sour cream’.  Some people like to use fresh fruit and other like them plain.  Have them any way you like.
5. You should cook and eat the assembled blintzes within 3 days (keeping them in the fridge).  
6. Freeze them, wrapped well, for longer storage.  Thaw, then heat and brown them up in a pan when ready to eat the blintzes.