Do you ever take a second to just stop, and look at all the great people surrounding your life?

If I take a breath and think of my friends, I can picture specific moments in time that sum up our friendships. Almost like a snapshot, you can picture the friend that taught you the importance of taking a break from your daily grind to revel in a full bellied, from the gut, laugh.  Or the friend that always pops up at the right time, with the right words of advice, a stack of magazines and a carton of Ben & Jerry’s. How about that dear friend that takes your grumpy love, reminds you that when things aren’t going your way they are still there for you, and throws love back at you. I can picture my best friend in a moment that, to me,  sums up the entirety of our beautiful friendship.

We all need them. Dear friends that remind us we are all extraordinary in our own ways. Friends who love that we walk to our own beats, forge our own paths, and have our own quirks. Friends we can count on.

Next time your soul needs a hug, like mine did last weekend, invite your best friends over. Laugh, turn up the tunes, dance like you’re the only one in the room, and feed your soul with something you love: friendship, a couple bottles of wine, and great appetizers for sharing (like savory coconut crepes)!

Coconut Crepe Appetizers with Hoisin Dipping Sauce

Source: House & Home Magazine

Coconut Crepes:

• 1 C coconut milk
• 2/3 C water
• 1 C rice flour
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• Sift together rice flour, sugar, salt and turmeric.
• Whisk together coconut milk and water. Whisk in the rice flour mixture until the batter is lump free.
• Pour  a 1/4 c batter into a greased pan on medium heat (it should make about a 3″ round crepe). Once bubbles appear on the surface of the crepe, flip it and cook until both sides are lightly browned. The crepe should be a little crispier then a regular crepe.
• You can make these several hours ahead of time and reheat, on a single layer on a baking sheet, at 350 degrees for about five minutes.

Vegetable Topping:

• 1 C julienned carrots
• 1 julienned green pepper
• 1/4 small onion, diced
• 1/2 C sliced mushrooms
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 C bean sprouts
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

• Stir fry all ingredients except sprouts and cilantro until tender crisp, about five minutes. Add in bean sprouts for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Hoisin Chili Dipping Sauce:

• 1/3 C water
• 1/4 C hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 tsp thai chili paste (sambal ulek)

• Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes:

• I served these as an appetizer but they would be great as a main course with a few shrimp, or maybe some ground pork thrown in with the veggies. Of course, you could make the crepes bigger and maybe double the recipe depending on how many you’re serving.
• This recipe is the ideal amount for an appetizer for four people
• I miss my best friend. I wish we could see each other more often!