Spinach-Tomato Vegan Omelet & more from Vegan-Ease by Laura Theodore

The past few months have been new cookbook heaven around here. I’ve given away copies of The Abundance Diet, Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen, and Vegan Bowls (entries for the giveaway ended yesterday, I hope you entered!).

And today I’m honored to feature a recipe and excerpt from Laura Theodore’s Vegan-Ease. Laura is the amazing host of The Jazzy Vegetarian on PBS, and author of 2 previous cookbooks. The information and recipes in Vegan-Ease have been in the works for over a decade, when Laura moved from NYC to the New Jersey countryside and found that she no longer had quite as much access to the ingredients she was used to having in NY. Undaunted, she began transforming her cooking by using items that are easily found in your local grocery store.

Vegan-Ease is filled with more than 130 delicious recipes with ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, and over 200 beautiful photos. Each recipe has an “ease factor” to let you choose recipes that fit your schedule and make meal planning easy. And I get to give a copy away!

To enter to win, leave a comment below and tell us what your favorite easy vegan recipe is (for U.S. residents only). Entries will be taken until next Sunday, Oct. 18 at midnight Pacific Time.

And now I get to share 2 things from this wonderful book ~ an excerpt with Laura’s Top Five Tips for Vegan-Ease Cuisine and the recipe for her Spinach-Tomato Vegan Omelet. Enjoy!

Top Five Tips for Vegan-Ease Cuisine

Here are my Top Five Tips for starting on the path to Vegan-Ease Cuisine: Easy vegan meals, without sacrificing great taste or giving up the textures and flavors we all love!

1. If you are new to vegan eating, start by serving one non-meat, plant-based meal each week for dinner. Try preparing hearty and satisfying favorites like Chili, Lasagna, Soup, Pasta, Easy Casserole or Meatless Burger.
2. Use mashed bananas, ground flaxseeds mixed with water or whipped organic tofu to replace eggs in many baked goods recipes. This works especially well when making muffins, brownies and many cakes. (If a baked goods recipe calls for just one egg, in most cases you can just leave the egg out and your recipe will still be perfect!)
3. Now widely available in most supermarkets, purchase rice, soy, almond, cashew, coconut or oat nondairy milk for topping cereal or as a substitute for dairy milk in almost any recipe.
4. Got a sweet tooth? Organic, dairy-free, fair trade dark chocolate is available in most supermarkets and health food stores.
5. When food shopping, take a moment to explore the rainbow of colors and tastes that fresh produce has to offer. Try adding one new vegetable or fruit to your cart every time you shop. This will make your journey toward a vegan diet more flavorful and fun.

From hearty main dishes, to decadent desserts, the vegan diet offers a wide range of options. And best of all, you’ll be making the world a better place, one tasty recipe at a time.

Spinach-Tomato Vegan Omelet

Makes 2 servings / Ease Factor 3

I tried for years to create a tasty vegan omelet, so I was super excited when I came up with this oven-baked version. Because a tofu-based omelet is more delicate than the classic egg version, I have developed a jazzy method for helping it to stay together when serving. It takes a little bit of extra fuss, but is well worth the effort.

TOMATO LAYER

• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Several grinds of freshly ground pepper

SPINACH LAYER

• 5 to 6 cups very lightly packed baby spinach, washed and dried

TOFU “EGG” LAYER

• 1 block (14 to 16 ounces) firm regular tofu
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1⁄8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (for dusting top)
• ¼ cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat with vegan margarine a heavy, ovenproof 10-inch round sauté pan or skillet with tight fitting lid.

Arrange the tomatoes in the prepared skillet by overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle the thyme, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper evenly over the top of the tomatoes.  Top the tomato layer with all of the baby spinach, pressing it down slightly.

Put all of the tofu “egg” layer ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the spinach, smoothing the top as you go.

Dust the top of the tofu layer with the additional 1⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes. Put the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Carefully cut the omelet into two servings, by slicing down the middle. Gently lift one-half of the omelet out of the pan, using two very large, flat spatulas. Place it tomato side down onto a rimmed dinner plate. Place a second rimmed dinner plate of the same size firmly over top of the omelet and quickly flip it over to invert the omelet so the tomatoes will now be facing upward. Sprinkle the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the vegan cheese, if desired. Then, use the spatula to gently fold the omelet over. Proceed plating up the second half of the omelet in the same manner.

Spoon the sauce that remains in the bottom of the pan over each omelet. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Serve warm.

Amount per serving, based on 2 servings:  188 Calories; 11g Fat; 2g Saturated fat;  21g Protein; 107mg Sodium; 7g Total Carbohydrate; 2g Sugars; 4g Fiber

Recipe © 2015 Laura Theodore, published by Jazzy Vegetarian, LLC, reprinted by permission.