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NEXT MAIN MENU PREVIOUS Red Bell Pepper & Greens Vegan Omelet Even as an omnivore, I was indifferent to the egg. Fried eggs never did much for me; I liked the crispy edges but that quivering yoke made me feel puke-y. Hard-boiled? Nope. Not happening. Scrambled? Now we’re getting closer but still, not a big craving in my life. When I was in college, my friends and I discovered the (most likely mythic) alcohol-sopping capabilities of a greasy late-night omelet at a 24-hour diner after a night of boozing. It was like all that fat was absorbing the alcohol and for a long time, late-night omelets eaten for this specific purpose was my main exposure to the egg. Once I stopped drinking to excess and, finally, went vegan, it was really not a big loss for me to leave eggs in the past. (If you’re reading this and you don’t know why to leave eggs behind, please do some research and consider ending your support of this horrifically cruel and environmentally destructive industry.) When news hit that a vegan egg – creatively called the VeganEgg – was developed by the fine people at Follow Your Heart, I can’t say that I lost my mind over it but I was happy. Any time we close the gap of what we “can’t have” as vegans, it is a win for the animals. As often happens, there was quite a bit of hype about it before the VeganEgg was available but it is slowly beginning to spread out there. (If you live in the Chicago area, you can find it in the baking section of Fruitful Yield stores for now as well as online Follow Your Heart VeganEgg, 4-Ounce Carton). I found it and I had to make an omelet. This time I wasn’t drunk. (Or was I???) I found the VeganEgg to be very easy to work with and it behaved pretty much like liquid eggs in the pan. If you have experience folding and flipping an omelet, you will use the same technique. There have been some complaints that the VeganEgg is bland but I’m guessing that they purposely didn’t add seasonings so that it could be used interchangeably in baking recipes, which is wise. To get the full “egg” effect, you will want to get your hands on some black salt, a.k.a., kala namak, which is a sulfur-y, pungent spice used commonly in Indian cuisine. (Don’t be freaked out that it’s not black – it shouldn’t be.) This salt is what adds an essential egg-y element. You want to use a light touch with black salt as a little goes a long way. I recommend buying this at an Indian market if you are lucky enough to have one near you. (Online, The Spice Lab's Himalayan BLACK Crystal Kala Namak Salt (fine ground), looks like a good choice.) You will pay much, much less for a big bag of it than you will at Whole Foods.  I would call this VeganEgg omelet airier and lighter than a traditional egg omelet, meaning that it doesn’t exactly replicate the egg experience, which is both positive and negative. On the negative side, well, people will whine about it not being exact. WAH! On the positive side, it works on its own merits and it’s not a heavy gut-buster like I remember an omelet being. I would call this a lighter but still reminiscent version of an egg omelet. The VeganEgg is a fantastic replacement for chicken eggs and I am very grateful to Follow Your Heart for developing it! I just used the vegetables I had sitting around: feel free to modify to your tastes.   Red Bell Pepper & Greens Vegan Omelet Makes one hella big vegan omelet 2 teaspoons oil, divided (I used olive) ½ yellow onion, diced ½ red bell pepper, diced 1 cup roughly chopped greens (I used spinach and kale) 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon tamari ¼ teaspoon cayenne Salt and pepper to taste 6 tablespoons VeganEgg 1 ½ cups cold water ¼ cup vegan cheese shreds (optional) Black salt In a medium sauté pan, heat one teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add your onions and bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the greens, the oregano, basil, tamari, cayenne and salt and pepper. Sauté until softened. Meanwhile, add the vegan egg to 1½ cups of cold water. Blend this in a blender until smooth and combined. In a medium pan, heat your second teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat. Pour in the VeganEgg batter and allow that to sit undisturbed for about three minutes. It will begin to form slow bubbles. When it begins to dry along the edges, sprinkle on your black salt and add your veggies, optional cheese shreds on one side of the omelet. For flipping purposes, having it on the side away from you makes for an easier turn. Use a flexible spatula to loosen the edges and once the bottom is starting to look golden and the top begins to look dry, gently flip over the veggies. Look it cook for another minute or two and plate. Another light sprinkling of black salt won’t hurt and maybe some fresh ground pepper on top. Serve warm with salsa, hot sauce or whatever you like. © 2013-2016, Vegan Street