Green-Chile-and-"Cheese" Vegan Omelet

Yes, I realize the words 'cheese', 'omelet' and 'vegan' aren't typically used in the same sentence, let alone a vegan recipe title, but re-inventing traditional recipes is a challenge you know I can't pass up.

I had a lot of fun figuring this one out, and though Julia Child might beg to differ, she's not around any more, and I personally think the final result is definitely worthy of the name "omelet".

Now, I know there have been several "omelet" recipes in vegan blogs and brunch cookbooks lately, but most of them used only besan (chickpea) flour or tofu and the ones I tried were either a bit dense, or didn't stay together all that well - absolutely no offense to the people who created those recipes, they were good, but somehow not quite what I was craving...

Well, I discovered combining the tofu and besan, you get a slightly sturdier omelet that cooks up nice and tender yet holds together when stuffed with fillings. Obviously these don't HAVE to be "Green-Chile-Cheese" omelettes, fill them with whatever you like. Definitely use the India Black Salt though, if you possibly can. I've been using it in tofu-scramble for many years and it makes a huge difference in taste!

Green-Chile-"Cheese" Omelet

• 1/2 a box Mori-Nu Silken Tofu, firm
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup plain unsweetened soy/rice/almond milk
• 2 tsp. potato starch or cornstarch
• 1/4 cup besan/chickpea flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. India Black Salt (optional but definitely gives it that authentic "eggy" taste)
• Season to taste with: pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. almond butter or cashew butter
• Fillings: I used a couple Tbsp. chopped green chiles and a couple Tbsp. Daiya vegan cheese, but use whatever you want. If using veggies, just cook and keep warm ahead of time, because they're added at the last.

In a food processor, blend the tofu, nutritional yeast and soymilk until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients and process again until very smooth. The batter should be like medium pancake batter. If too thick to pour smoothly, add a bit more soymilk, but if runny like crepe batter, add more besan flour. I think I always play with the amounts of liquid, I may need to adjust that in future versions of the recipe...

Heat a small non-stick frypan/skillet over medium to med-low heat and brush pan with a light layer of oil. This really only works well with a non-stick skillet, I love my cast-iron pans too, but this just does NOT work in cast iron.
Add about 1 cup of the omelet batter at a time, and smooth it quickly and evenly in the pan. It should be somewhat thinner than a pancake. Allow to cook for about 2 - 5 minutes, until the colour changes (it will become more yellow as it cooks) and the top appears a bit dry, but don't let it get dark brown on the bottom, you may have to check a couple times.

Flip the omelet carefully (they do crumble a bit depending on how thick/thin the batter was) the best way to flip is to use two wide spatulas... Then cook on the other side for 3 or 4 minutes. Put cooked fillings on omelet. (If using "cheese" that will melt, cover the pan and cook on low another two minutes or until cheese melts) .

Fold omelet over filling, slide onto plate, top with additional garnish or cheese or salsa or parsley and serve to appreciative fans and family! (Ignore the fact that no green-chiles are showing in my photo, they're in there somewhere!)

You may need to add more liquid as you go, the batter thickens as it stands. Keep a wire whisk handy to re-mix ingredients before cooking each omelet.