Vegan "Eggs" Benedict Florentine Omelettes with Sage Hollandaise Sauce
Well, readers, I've officially become a domesticated house-wife. How do I know? I had a delightful time pairing all of my lady's mismatched socks today following a rousing 3 hour laundry session. Pitiful? I hope not.
I'm really enjoying my new life in the Gayborhood (aka West Hollywood) so far. To date, my favorite neighbor is a strapping young man by day, a more masculine version of Cher by night. Not that I didn't enjoy life in Santa Monica, but for being the yoga capital of America, it sure did have it's fair share of angry soccer moms fighting for the best tomatoes at the farmer's market that would hiss anything at me except "OM" under their breath. Let's just say I feel a little more in my element here.
This post officially marks my one-year "Blogaversary". I spent a good 2 hours last week reviewing posts from the past 12 months. It was so interesting to notice not only how much has changed in my life, but how much I've grown as a home cook, writer and photographer. If you'd have asked my 5 years ago what I thought I'd be doing today, I probably would have said one of two things:
1) Holding a steady position as an anchor person for a snappy news/talk show (I was a broadcast journalism major for a long 2 months...but in reality I think exactly 5 years ago I was already a drop-out).
2) Harvesting a flourishing marijuana farm in northern California under the code-name "Pimpstress of Mystery", surrounded by people named "Haze" and "Blitz", while fighting off the DEA with my wit and charm.
What a long way I've come, indeed. I decided to reward myself by making one of the things I miss the most: Omelettes. Even as a meat-eater, I never understood people when they said they just needed a *shudders out of revulsion* big juicy steak. I really just miss eggs. And Brie...which I hope to conquer soon. I started off with the Parmesan Blend I use all the time, and just kept altering the recipe until it provided that proper "egg-ish" taste and smell. I think this recipe still needs a bit of work, but for now, it really did the trick.
Special shout-outs this week to Melisser...it was great to see you :) And to QuarryGirl, for being my Guinea Pig with the egg recipe. You both make me smile.
There are several components to making this omelette a Benedict omelette, but you can make this your own way, too. Enjoy!
with Sage Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 lb package Nasoya Silken Tofu
- 1/4 cup MimicCreme (or 1/2 cup Soy Milk thickened with 1 TBSP Corn Starch)
- 1/4 + 1/8 cup "Egg" Mix (recipe follows)
- 1 TBSP Mellow White Miso Paste
- Dash of Garlic Powder
- Dash of Turmeric
- Dash of Yellow Mustard Powder
- Dash of Curry Powder
- Salt, to taste
- 5 tsp Agar Powder
Blend all of the above ingredients except the Agar Powder in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan, and stir in the Agar Powder. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring occasionally.
Allow it to boil for about a minute, then pour into the greased skillets and smooth out evenly with a spatula or spoon. Allow to refrigerate a few hours until completely set.
When you're ready make your omelettes, gently remove from the pan, keeping the set mixture in one piece, by either turning the pan upside-down over a plate, or pushing out of the skillet onto a plate. It will look like this...
Add a little oil or earth balance the the pan, then brown on each side (flipping gently with a spatula) and fill with either the Florentine Benedict fillings, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
To make the "Egg" Mix
- 1/3 cup Raw Walnut Pieces
- 1/3 cup Raw Cashew Pieces
- 3 TBSP Raw Sunflower Seeds
- 1/4 cup Roasted Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
- 2-3 tsp Kosher Salt
- Dash of Garlic Powder
- Dash of Turmeric
- Dash of Yellow Mustard Powder
To make the Sage Hollandaise Sauce...
- 1/2 + 1/4 cup MimicCreme (or Cashew Mix)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 TBSP Earth Balance, melted
- 1 3/4 TBSP Corn Starch mixed with 1 1/2 TBSP Cold H20
- 1 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/8 cup Fresh Sage Leaves
- Dash of Turmeric
In the same sauce pan, whisk the rest of the MimicCreme, Cornstarch and Turmeric together, and heat over medium high, stirring constantly, until thickened/reduced by almost half. Scrape into the blender with the rest of the MimicCreme, add melted Earth Balance, Lemon Juice and Sage, and blend until smooth.
Reheat over low heat or microwave before serving.
To make the Vegan Bacon...
- 8 oz Super Firm Tofu, drained well and cut into "Bacon" size slices
- 4 TBSP Soy Sauce
- 2 TBSP Bragg's Liquid Amino
- 2 1/2 TBSP Mirin
- About 12 drops of Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon's No Beef Base combined w/1 TBSP H2O
- Dash of Garlic Powder
- Dash of Onion Powder
- 1-2 tsp Canola Oil
- 1/2 tsp Beet Powder (optional...for color)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a sheet pan with Canola oil, then spread out pieces of tofu evenly. Allow to bake 4-7 minutes on each side, flipping once, until browned...
For the English Muffin Croutons...
- 1 Vegan English Muffin, diced into cubes
- 1 TBSP Earth Balance, melted
- 1 clove garlic, minced
For the Spinach...
- 2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- 2 TBSP Vegetable Broth
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, enough for cooking (About 1 TBSP)
Heat olive oil in a small skillet, then add minced Garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn heat to low, add Spinach leaves, salt, pepper, and Broth/Juice mix, then stir to combine.
Turn off the heat, and cover with a lid until the Spinach wilts.
Drain before adding to the omelette.