Tofu Omelet with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Cheesy Sauce

This is the first thing I've made from my new cookbook and let me tell you, these things knocked my socks off! The thought of a vegan omelet ever being a possibility (and a delicious one at that) was something I never imagined in my wildest dreams! This recipe makes me feel as though anything is possible. I was so excited about this that I wrapped up and omelet and ran it over to my neighbor to see what she thought. I started thinking maybe I just forgot what a cheesy omelet tastes like so I wanted to get the opinion of someone else. And guess what?? She liked them too!! She actually really enjoyed it and said that she couldn't even tell it was vegan. Can you even believe it?? AND, she had just had eggs for breakfast! Isa, I don't know how you do it, but you are AMAZING. And so are these yummy omelets.

Tofu Omelets

(Makes 4 omelets)

2 garlic cloves

1 lb. silken tofu, lightly drained (not the vacuum-packed kind) or soft tofu; Nasoya brand is recommended

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. fine black salt, plus extra for sprinkling*

1/2 cup chickpea flour (I found this at the natural food store)

1 tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch

1. Chop up the garlic, if using, in a food processor (I used a blender). Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, olive oil, turmeric, and salt. Puree until smooth. Add the chickpea flour and arrowroot and puree again for about 10 seconds, until combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides so that everything is well incorporated.

2. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the pan with cooking spray. (The less oil the better for the nice brown speckles we're going for.) ALso, make sure that you use a large skillet, as you need room to spread out the omelet and to get your spatula under there to flip.

3. In 1/2 cup increments, pour the omelet batter into the skillet. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to spread the batter out into about 6-inch circles.

4. Let the batter cook for about 3 to 5 minutes before flipping. The top of the omelet should dry and become a matte yellow when it's ready to be flipped. If you try and it seems like it might fall apart, give it a little more time. The underside should be flecked light to dark brown. Flip the omelet and cook for about a minute on the other side. Keep warm on a plate covered with tinfoil as you make the remaining omelets.

5. Fill omelet with the filling of your choice, then fold it. Once the omelet has been filled, sprinkle with a little extra black salt, since some of its flavor disappears when cooked.

*I had a pretty hard time finding this stuff, but I knew it was vital to the recipe so I searched high and low until I found it. The best place to get it would be an Indian Grocery store but obviously those are hard to come by. I ended up finding it at a kitchen specialty store and it was part of a salt sampler with like, 5 other salts. When I opened the package and tasted it I could not BELIEVE how much sulfury, eggy flavor it had. This stuff is the key! Oh, and FYI the salt is pink in color, not black.

Mushrooms and Spinach Filling

This is just the filling I chose and I prepared it the way it was suggested in the book. Here's what I did while my omelets were cooking:

Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute 4 cups sliced mushrooms in 2 tbsp. olive oil. After about 5 minutes, when mushrooms are soft, add 2 minced garlic cloves and about 3 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme. Saute about 3 minutes more, add fresh black pepper and a few dashes of salt to taste. Stuff into omelets and divide 2 cups chopped fresh spinach among them. The spinach will wilt in the omelet. Top with Cheesy sauce (recipe follows).

Cheesy Sauce

Makes about 3 cups - You'll probably want to cut this in half if you're only planning to use it for the omelets

2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

A pinch of dried thyme (crumbled in your fingers)

1/4 tsp. salt

A few dashed black pepper

1/8 tsp. turmeric

3/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. yellow prepared mustard

1. Combine the broth and flour in a measuring cup and whisk with a fork until the flour is dissolved (a couple of lumps are okay).

2. Preheat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and garlic and gently cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic.

3. Add the thyme, salt, and pepper and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the broth mixture, turmeric, and nutritional yeast and bring the heat up to medium. Use a whisk to stir pretty constantly. It should start bubbling and thickening in about 3 minutes; if it doesn't them turn the heat a bit higher.

4. Once bubbling and thickening, stir the sauce for about 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and mustard. It should resemble a thick, melty cheese. Taste for salt, turn the heat off, and cover to keep warm until ready to use. The top might set a bit while it sits, but you can just stir it and it will be fine. Serve warm.

I can't wait for my next omelet!!!