Mallory hates to make omelettes. You can ask her. She will scowl at you and make suggestions for a number of other elaborate, more time consuming breakfast options. She will pretend she is vegan again or change the subject to lunch. She will suddenly need to do another hour of morning yoga-- anything to avoid making omelettes. And truthfully, as a traveling folk band with minimal fridge space, we only indulge in them a couple times a year. Usually at a restaurant. With someone else picking up the tab. Eggs don't travel well in a bump-around camper, anyway.
So this December, when The Rough & Tumble finally settled down and tarped up the camper, they began to do what they typically do in their down time while staying with a house full of carnivorous family members: they became vegan. It's a little bit of a cleansing, restorative tradition, not so uncommon in the tradition of Christmas, anyway. And while The R&T aren't claiming any religious reasons for doing so, we will tell you that our bodies are feeling stronger and more rested by the day. And, it gets Mallory off the hook to make any omelettes. Until it didn't.
"I want to eat a chickpea omelette," Scott said.
Mallory had heard from a vegan friend that these were good, and made the mistake of telling Scott about them almost a full year ago. He couldn't stop thinking about them. And with the reinstating of our Salad (vegan) Days, he was determined. Mallory made excuses. Scott pushed. Mallory said, "Then you do it."
So, left alone with the internet and a full kitchen, Mallory went to retrieve her gluten free chickpea flour from their friend Bryan's house (thanks again, Bryan, for storing all of Mallory's beloved baking things), returned with the humble offering, and left Scott be. Now, with all the talk you might have heard about Mallory's cooking, what you probably didn't realize is that Scott also looks fantastic in a chef's hat. And his food is tasty, too. He is deliberate and follows recipes to a T, only varying once he has fully mastered the recipe-- an admirable trait as it avoids the sailor's-string'o'curses that may occasionally sing out from The R&T's kitchen with Mallory at the helm.
And, wouldn't you know, Scott didn't disappoint. Mallory busied herself making some garlic aioli and splashing wine in here and there, but the pouring-waiting-flipping-steaming was a pure miracle to the mouth thanks to the steady Eddie hand of Scott. And so, now, without further ado, a little bit for your brunch-- Chickpea Omelettes (adapted from a recipe by Fork and Beans). Obviously, the filling can be switched out for anything you'd prefer, we just wanted to tell you exactly how our morning went.
Chickpea Omelettes (makes 2 large omelettes)*
Ingredients:
Batter
3/4 c chickpea flour
3/4 c soy milk (or milk of your choice)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
salt to taste
Filling
1 TBSP oil of choice
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 c kale, rolled and diced**
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
1 roma tomato, diced
2 TBSP basil, chopped
splash of white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Aioli
1/2 c veganaise (or mayonnaise or yogurt of choice)
4 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lemon
salt to taste
Instructions:
1. You will want to make the batter at least one hour ahead of time to allow ingredients to settle, and for some of the chickpea floury-ness to ease up (just ask our friend Bryan-- chickpea flour can be a real blech if not used right). Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl or spouted bowl, whisk together. Let sit.
2. When you are ready for your omelette, prepare the filling by placing 1 TBSP of oil in a medium frying pan on high heat. When the oil is heated, toss in onion and garlic. Brown slightly. Reduce heat to medium-high. Then, add broccoli, kale, mushroom. Saute til softened slightly (we like a little crunch to our broccoli). Toss in a bit of white wine or vinegar of choice (balsamic is classy). Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Set aside.
3. Prepare a medium skillet with oil of choice (we used spray on vegetable oil for an even coat). Heat on high. Pour in 1/2 the prepared batter. Allow to cook for 2 minutes, or until it bubbles and firms up around the edges.
4. Add one half of the filling to one half of the batter (shell) in the pan. Gently fold over one side (the not filling-ed side). Cook for one more minute.
5. Turn off heat and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. This is crucial to wipe out the last of the weird chickpea floury-ness, so don't be hasty. Repeat to make second omelette (Scott likes to use two burners at the same time to make two omelettes at once because we so rarely have that many burners to work with).
6. While you're waiting for your omelettes to steam, combine veganaise, garlic, and salt. Squeeze in that lemon juice. Stir around. This biz is delish.
7. Serve omelettes on plates, putting any excess filling you have leftover on top, with the aioli on the side. We had it on a Sunday afternoon with some stolen coffee and bananas.
*For international points, we learned that this "omelette," when not folded over, is actually a common Indian dish known as Besan Chilla, a savory chickpea pancake of sorts.
**We just found this way to cut the kale that makes it easier to throw in-- roll the kale up long ways like a cigar, then slice thinly down the cigar like it is being quickly smoked. This method has been key in making a less chewy, more accessible kale salad. Just sayin'.