The Perfect Vegg Omelette

Breakfast, again? Well, as my roommates like to point out, it's not exactly breakfast because I don't cook before 10 am. One way I can look at this is that by then I am absolutely famished, so at least all my "non" breakfasts are holiday-sized feasts and who can complain about that? It also means that unless I'm expecting potatoes and veggies in bed, I want to be finished cooking and elbows-deep in the scarfing down part of my first meal within thirty minutes. 

Enter, this wonder product:

I randomly bought this stuff online from Vegan Cuts, which is essentially an online Grouponesque marketplace for vegan products and deals. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a "product" person; from my first few weeks of recipes, it's obvious I like creating from scratch as much as possible. Aside from vegan marshmallows, The Vegg is the only other special vegan thing I've purchased online and I will say I absolutely love having it on hand. It lasts forever, and is perfect for enhancing recipes and transforming tofu and other ingredients into eggs. I have yet to make straight eggs with it, because it requires some major science experiment skills and since the Breaking Bad finale have yet to ascend to Heisnberg, myself. 

Now, you don't totally need this product for the omelette, but I've done it both ways and using The Vegg is both easier, quicker, and just that much more authentic. My only complaint is that I have never really liked scrambled eggs in the first place, and the omelettes produced from this recipe are so similar in taste and texture I have to cram a ton of fillings into it. Oh, the travesty. Anyway, that's enough product review. Wait- can they pay me or something for that advertising spot?

The best part about making omelettes is basically going through your fridge and pulling out anything and everything that could possibly be stuffed into a giant breakfast egg-y quesedilla. This particular morning I analyzed my bounty and immediately thought: oh hell yeah, Mexican it is (I consequently put back the mozzarella cheese, eggplant, and after much begging by my boyfriend, the bacon bits). 

Also, if you are doing this Vegg-free, you'll need a few extra ingredients for the batter: cornstarch, nutritional yeast, and turmeric. 

note: before you do anything, drain your tofu and wrap it in paper towels. Set it on a plate, with a heavy pan or plate on top to extract some of the moisture out of the tofu. It really doesn't need to be done for very long, just while you are setting up and gathering ingredients and preparing your Vegg yolk. This will help to avoid your batter being too watery. Tofu liquid is not as tasty as almond milk, or so I'm told. 

First, make your Vegg yolk by blending 1 tbsp of the powder with 1/2 cup almond milk for about a minute. 

Crumble your tofu into the yolk mixture along with 1 tsp oil (or the alternative ingredients) another minute or so until nice and smooth. 

It should resemble batter, but you should already be able to smell a hint of egg- trust me, this stuff will totally freak you out. 

Heat a large skillet with a generous amount of coconut oil or earth balance butter (here I love my coconut oil spread) on medium heat. Use a decent pan or your omelette will be over-salted with tears of frustration. Pour the batter and spread as evenly as possible over the skillet with a spoon or spatula. Like any batter-based breakfast, this is a skill that may take mastering. Sprinkle some black lava salt on top. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the edges turn a golden color and begin to harden and set, exactly like a pancake does. 

Sidenote: you need black lava salt in your life. I love experimenting with different salts like seasonings (I know, it's kind of weird...I have a salt fetish). Anyway, this isn't weird- this is a staple. It has a deep sulfur scent and makes any egg-like dishes skyrocket to tasty authenticity. Mmmm salty goodness. 

In the meantime, chop up your veggies.

And cook up onions and garlic if your heart so desires. I like to have a mix of raw green onions and caramelized yellow onions, personally.  

Once your omelette is looking like its ready to marry the good stuff, sprinkle all your fillings on top. Technically, I think you are supposed to only cover half of it. But, there is a fat kid that lives in my head. His name is Roy, and he wanted to cover up the whole damn thing. This, by the way made my already extremely low omelette skills plummet to new records, as it made it ridiculously difficult to fold, flip, and make it to my plate. I can't say I won't over-fill it every time despite this, however. Fat kids always win food battles: fact. 

Fold the "empty" side of the omelette over the "filled" side (good freaking luck), and cook with the lid on a few more minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is cooked through, while keeping an eye on the bottom browning too much. If you are brave, flip halfway to evenly brown both the top and the bottom. This was hard for me. I was seconds from throwing my hands in the air and turning the whole damn skillet into a scramble. In my defense, this is literally the second omelette I've ever made in my entire life. And like crepes, omelette art takes practice. Stick with it. It's so worth it. I believe in you, Breakfast Master.

The Perfect Vegg Omelette 

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15-20 minutes 

Total time: 20-30 minutes

Makes 2 large omelettes 

Ingredients:

1 package firm or extra firm tofu

1 tbsp The Vegg powder

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tsp olive oil 

black lava salt (to taste)

Alternative ingredients:

1 package firm or extra firm tofu

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp black lava salt

1/2 tsp turmeric 

Coconut oil or butter (for frying)

Fillings:

caramelized onion, green onion, bell pepper, avocado, baby spinach, jalapenos, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, bacon bits, sausage crumbles, daiya cheese, etc. 

Directions:

Drain tofu and wrap in paper towels on a plate to set. 

Prepare Vegg yolk by combining powder and almond milk into the blender for 1 minute. 

Add crumbled tofu into blender along with oil (or alternative ingredients). Blend until totally smooth. 

Heat skillet to medium heat with a liberal amount of coconut oil or butter. Pour batter all over skillet, spreading evenly across the pan. Sprinkle black salt on top. Cook until edges become slightly golden and begin to set, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare fillings. 

Add fillings of choice to half of omelette. Using a good spatula, fold the omelette in half. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted and/or everything is cooked through to desired hardness.