OK. So here we are on the second day after arriving home from our Europe trip and there are SIX new vegan cookbooks on our doorstep, thanks to Amazon for swift deliveries. I decide to cook breakfast out of The HappyCow Cookbook: Tofu Omelet Sheets. Why “sheets?” I wonder. Why not just “omelets”? But soon the answer unfolds as I smooth the batter over the jellyroll pan. Actually, not really a jellyroll pan, because I don’t have one. I thought my kitchen had everything until discovering its lack of this item. A quick google search helps me to see that an upside down cookie sheet, drip pan or silicone baking sheet will suffice, so “on you go” as my Scottish father-in-law says.  As I smooth the tofu batter on the “pan,” my husband Gordon happens into the kitchen. He stops and stares. “Why all the fuss with baking it first? Why not just put it into the frying pan?” I stare back thinking, Now that’s a good question, but I don’t respond because I have a certain loyalty to using a first time recipe. He continues, “It would be so much easier to use real eggs. Baking and then frying seems like an awful lot of work for an omelet. Can I cook yesterday’s leftovers in case it doesn’t work out?” His solution surprises me since yesterday’s breakfast was also an experiment  – a black bean and quinoa burger with potato hash. Being sure that by tomorrow he will request THESE leftovers, I press on.  In reality, while it may look difficult, it really is quite easy, even fun. If I can figure this out, I will be so happy with myself. It is the kind of thinking that accompanied my chemistry and physics experiments in high school. In the end, the tofu omelet tastes great, but looks a little disheveled, like Kelly’s below (only a little better, sorry Kelly). The omelet sheets are a bit crumbly, difficult to peel off the parchment paper. But Gordon surprises me by asking for seconds. There are no leftovers. None. There is an even funnier side. In my attempt to find the recipe online (since I enter all recipes into Evernote and I don’t want to type it myself from the book) I come across a blog that makes me laugh out loud: Vegan daemon:

http://www.easyvegan.info/2014/05/22/tofu-omelet-sheets-from-the-cornbread-cafe/comment-page-1/#comment-3480093

Apparently Kelly had the same struggles I did with this recipe. Compare the two photos in her blog, The first photo seems to be a clipping (not hers) and the second is how hers turned out.  Not sure, but it corresponds to what I experienced with the recipe. Next time I would increase the elasticity (add more cornstarch and liquid?) and cook it a little longer.

The goal

On her blog Kelly says, “I kind of wonder whether the recipe was written incorrectly…Further experimentation necessary..It was kind of messy, but I blame that on an inadequately sized spatula and my own impatience…”

No, Kelly, it is not the spatula or your patience, unless we both have the same spatula! However, I agree that there is hope. The recipe is almost correct, so let’s keep at it. Here’s the recipe as it is in the cookbook:

Tofu Omelet Sheets
(adapted from The HappyCow Cookbook: Recipes From Top-Rated Vegan Restaurants Around the World, p77)

Kelly’s omelet

Serves 6

For the omelet:
1 1/2 blocks firm tofu
1 1/2 T arrowroot (or cornstarch) mixed well with 1/4 cup water
1 T nutritional yeast
2 t onion powder
1 1/4 t sea salt
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t black pepper
1/8 t turmeric (for color)
Oil for greasing and frying

For the filling:
Here you can have fun. Use your favorite veggies (I like to use a combination of bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach, fresh tomatoes and spinach), vegan cheese, or anything else you like in omelets.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all the ingredients (except the oil) into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Lightly oil a jellyroll pan (13×18), and line it with parchment paper. Scoop the tofu mixture into pan, and spread tofu evenly to the sides. Take another piece of parchment paper, lightly oil one side of it, and place oiled-side down on top of the tofu. Even out the mixture a little easier with this top sheet on–use your hands to gently pat and make sure there are no uneven spots.

Bake for about 12 minutes, checking after 10 minutes. It’s a good idea to rotate the pan back to front after about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven when the parchment paper turns yellow.

Once cool, take off top piece of parchment paper. This is where it tends to crumble or separate. I found it easiest to peel it off. You can also run a butter knife around the edges to separate the omelet from sides of pan and gently remove the bottom piece of parchment paper. Make 1 vertical cut down the middle and 2 horizontal cuts, making 6 even omelet sheets. Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium flame. Place the omelet onto the pan, smooth-side down. Sprinkle filling ingredients on half of the sheet and fold. Top with more cheese and cover until hot. Remove and serve.

Challenge from here: to cook it again using this recipe and, if the difficulty remains, review other tofu omelet recipes and alter this one accordingly.

Hint: making the sheets and then frying them without trying to make an omelet results in perfect scrambled eggs. Looks exactly like it!