Oh, omelets, how I missed you. Oh, eggs, how I haven't. Sorry, egg lovers, I never got into them. According to family lore, I was anti-egg before I could talk. I still liked omelets, though, but only because of the fillings (and never for breakfast). My favorite filling was made from leftover baked potatoes, diced, fried in some olive oil and seasoned with thyme, coriander, sage and paprika. A little bit of something creamy such as cheese or avocado would take them over the top.
These tofu omelets from Vegan Brunch are made from pureed tofu and chickpea flour. The addition of the chickpea flour and just the right seasonings give these an awesomely rich flavor. Before you make these, you need to know that all chickpea flour is not the same. Some chickpea flour on the market is raw, while some is roasted. Raw chickpea flour tastes woody and astringent, and the raw flavor doesn't completely cook away. Roasted chickpea flour has a warm, nutty taste straight out of the package and adds a rich flavor to everything you make with it. However, the packages don't say which is which. The best way to judge is by the color. In the photo below, the flour on the right is Bob's Red Mill brand, which I picked up at the health food store. It's barely darker than white flour - about the same color as wheat gluten, and tastes raw. On the left is Sadaf brand, which I bought at a specialty grocery. You can see that it's the color of cooked chickpeas. It tastes very roasty. Because these omelets cook quickly, the darker roasted chickpea flour is absolutely necessary here.
These tofu omelets from Vegan Brunch are made from pureed tofu and chickpea flour. The addition of the chickpea flour and just the right seasonings give these an awesomely rich flavor. Before you make these, you need to know that all chickpea flour is not the same. Some chickpea flour on the market is raw, while some is roasted. Raw chickpea flour tastes woody and astringent, and the raw flavor doesn't completely cook away. Roasted chickpea flour has a warm, nutty taste straight out of the package and adds a rich flavor to everything you make with it. However, the packages don't say which is which. The best way to judge is by the color. In the photo below, the flour on the right is Bob's Red Mill brand, which I picked up at the health food store. It's barely darker than white flour - about the same color as wheat gluten, and tastes raw. On the left is Sadaf brand, which I bought at a specialty grocery. You can see that it's the color of cooked chickpeas. It tastes very roasty. Because these omelets cook quickly, the darker roasted chickpea flour is absolutely necessary here.
I was really looking forward to cooking these up in a skillet, egg-style, as described in the cookbook. Unfortunately, my first one completely disintentigrated when I tried to flip it over. So I made the remaining three in the oven, which worked much better for me. I made them again and the same thing happened - one blob from the skillet and three pretty omelets from the oven. So, if you decide to make these, you'll have two cooking methods to choose from, but I suggest using the oven!
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| A tasty, tasty blob. |
Vegan Brunch's secret to making these really egg-like is to use Indian black salt. I was afraid they'd be too realistic so I used regular sea salt. Do check out the cookbook for the black salt version, as well as a lots of alternate filling suggestions.
Finally, the potato filling, my own creation, is worth a special mention, because these are so good and worth making on their own. They're also the perfect side with a breakfast scramble or even a sandwich.
I am hooking this recipe up with this week's Hearth 'n' Soul blog hop.
Potato-Avocado Tofu Omelets
Herbed Breakfast Potatoes
Before you start, cook the potatoes up to a day before. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 400 F or cook in the microwave for 6-7 minutes.
3 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, about 1-1/4 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dice cooked potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat olive oil to medium hot. Toss the potato cubes in the oil. Once the potatoes are coated in oil, refrain from turning them until they're crispy on one side, as it will just take longer for them to cook. Once they crisp up on one side, toss the potatoes and fry until crispy on a second side. Add the spices and toss the potatoes to coat. Cook for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant. Set aside and keep warm.
Tofu Omelets
1 pound water-pack silken or soft tofu
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chickpea flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
3/4 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon black salt)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
water as needed
To finish: 1 or 2 small Haas avocados, diced
Drain tofu and add to a blender with the garlic and olive oil. If using soft tofu, add 2 tablespoons of water. Purée. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. The batter should be thicker than pancake batter, but thin enough to spread a bit. If it seems too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. (I used soft tofu and 3 tablespoons of water total.)
Stovetop method: Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high. Lightly oil the pan. Add 1/2 cup batter to the middle of the pan and spread into a six-inch circle, not too big. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the top of the omelet is dry. Carefully flip over and cook for a minute or so. Flip back over onto the plate, add the potatoes and diced avocado to one half, and flip the other half on top of the fillings.
Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush a large baking pan (preferably a dark one) well with olive oil. Consider lining your pan with aluminum foil before oiling, as it makes getting these from the pan to the plate easier. Drop a 1/2 cup of batter on the baking pan and spread out into a 6-inch circle. Repeat with remaining batter. Bake for about 12 minutes, without turning over, until top is set and bottom is starting to brown. Transfer omelets to plates, add the potatoes and diced avocado to one half, and flip the other half on top of the fillings.
Makes 4.
Finally, the potato filling, my own creation, is worth a special mention, because these are so good and worth making on their own. They're also the perfect side with a breakfast scramble or even a sandwich.
I am hooking this recipe up with this week's Hearth 'n' Soul blog hop.
Potato-Avocado Tofu Omelets
Herbed Breakfast Potatoes
Before you start, cook the potatoes up to a day before. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 400 F or cook in the microwave for 6-7 minutes.
3 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, about 1-1/4 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dice cooked potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat olive oil to medium hot. Toss the potato cubes in the oil. Once the potatoes are coated in oil, refrain from turning them until they're crispy on one side, as it will just take longer for them to cook. Once they crisp up on one side, toss the potatoes and fry until crispy on a second side. Add the spices and toss the potatoes to coat. Cook for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant. Set aside and keep warm.
Tofu Omelets
1 pound water-pack silken or soft tofu
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chickpea flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
3/4 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon black salt)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
water as needed
To finish: 1 or 2 small Haas avocados, diced
Drain tofu and add to a blender with the garlic and olive oil. If using soft tofu, add 2 tablespoons of water. Purée. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. The batter should be thicker than pancake batter, but thin enough to spread a bit. If it seems too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. (I used soft tofu and 3 tablespoons of water total.)
Stovetop method: Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high. Lightly oil the pan. Add 1/2 cup batter to the middle of the pan and spread into a six-inch circle, not too big. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the top of the omelet is dry. Carefully flip over and cook for a minute or so. Flip back over onto the plate, add the potatoes and diced avocado to one half, and flip the other half on top of the fillings.
Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush a large baking pan (preferably a dark one) well with olive oil. Consider lining your pan with aluminum foil before oiling, as it makes getting these from the pan to the plate easier. Drop a 1/2 cup of batter on the baking pan and spread out into a 6-inch circle. Repeat with remaining batter. Bake for about 12 minutes, without turning over, until top is set and bottom is starting to brown. Transfer omelets to plates, add the potatoes and diced avocado to one half, and flip the other half on top of the fillings.
Makes 4.
Egg or not, I say yum Claire. Mmmmmmm :)
ReplyDeleteLooks superb dear. This is my kind of omlete, without egg :)
ReplyDeleteI love eggs, just as much as I love chickpea flour. I'll have to track down the roasted one: thanks for making the distinction clear once an for all! My raw one sometimes worked perfectly, while other recipes were failures, and now I know why.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting about the chickpea flour; I never knew. I've definitely had some that tasted weird and vegetal, though. Thank you for sharing your recipe at the Hearth and Soul hop.
ReplyDelete