They say you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. Wrong! One of my very favorite meals is a spinach and mushroom omelet with lashings of tomato sauce - with not an egg in sight. And it's delicious. OK, let's not upset the purists. It's not strictly speaking an omelet if it doesn't contain eggs. But the secret ingredient is gram flour which does the same job, and gram flour does it even better. Gram flour is quite simply ground dried garbanzos, or chickpeas. You might also see it called "besan." 'Channa flour' is the same except the chickpeas are roasted before they are milled, giving the final product a more earthy flavor. As you might expect, the nutritional profile of gram flour is far superior to that of eggs. Eggs are touted as "protein powerhouses," with athletes proclaiming the benefits of the whites-only omelet. In reality, they'd be far better off with gram flour. Gram for gram (excuse the pun), it contains 169% more protein and 1000% more fiber*, as well as plenty of wholegrain carbohydrates and minerals. Now, for the recipe...
How to Make a Vegan Omelet
Ingredients
- 2 large handfuls spinach
- A handful of mushrooms
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup gram flour
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- A pinch of xantham gum
- 1/3 cup soy milk
Preparation
Notes
Make sure your omelet is cooked all the way through before you take it off the heat. Gram flour has an odd bitter taste when raw, which mellows as it cooks. Five minutes on either side should do it. Have fun with this recipe; it's very versatile. You could spice it up with cumin, turmeric, and chili, or create a Spanish tortilla using sliced cooked potatoes and onions. You could even try adding vegetarian "ham" and baking it in a shallow pastry crust to make a quiche.
Love that there’s a Tyson chicken ad on the vegan omelette page. Nice placement.
I’m in the States. Where do I find gram flour, vegan bouillon powder, and xantham gum? Also, I have to convert all of your measurements to “American” measurement amounts.
You can find gram flour at any Indian (as in India) store. bouillon powder is nothing but broth powder which you can substitute with other spices.
Gram flour can be found in most supermarkets, but it will be cheaper in Indian or middle eastern shops. The other ingredients can be found in any woke foods our health food store.
In Canada and US, it goes by the name of “chickpea flour”, and easy enough to find. Bob’s Red Mill makes a few different blends