Chickpea Nomelettes with Kale

Nomelettes are not omelettes but they can play one at breakfast, brunch, or a casual dinner. Make easy pancakes from chickpea flour and wrap around your favorite filling. The result has the toothsome tenderness of an omelette without any cholesterol or disturbing uncooked gooey parts. This recipe calls for a filling of cooked kale with onions and raisins, but you could use any omelette filling.

Chickpea-Flour Nomelettes (or Egg-free omelettes)

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes. Makes 4, serving 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side.

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2 pound kale
• 1/4 cup raisins (40 grams)

Wrapper

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (7 grams)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour or besan flour) (120 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Make filling. Mince garlic and set aside. Spread olive oil evenly on the bottom of a medium pot and heat over medium-low heat. Chop onion and add to pan, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
2. Rinse kale well, then tear or cut off leaves from stems. Chop stems into 1/4-inch pieces, adding stem pieces to onion mixture as you go. Chop leaves into strips about 1/4-inch wide and 3 inches long.
3. When onion is tender, stir in garlic and then stir in kale leaves and raisins. Cover pot and reduce heat. Let greens steam for about 8 minutes until chewy-tender, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When kale is chewy-tender, remove from heat.
4. Make nomelettes. Heat ground flax seed and three tablespoons water in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir until texture becomes eggy.
5. Put chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Add remaining water and stir until smooth. Add flaxseed "egg" and olive oil and stir until well combined.
6. Heat a medium, non-stick skillet or a griddle to medium. Brush with olive oil. (Make one pancake at a time in a skillet and two at a time on a griddle.) When skillet is hot, pour batter onto hot surface in a spiral and spread with the back of a ladle to create a thin pancake-like nomelette about seven inches wide. Cook for three or four minutes, until batter is nearly firm and the bottom is golden brown. Flip nomelette and cook until the other side is golden brown, about two minutes. Stack on a plate until ready to serve.
7. Assemble and serve. When the nomelettes are cooked and the greens tender, spread about 1/4 cup cooked greens in a line just off-center of each nomelette, then fold the longer side over the filling. Best served at once, but they will keep in a warm oven (200°F) for 20 minutes or so.

Comments

[terri]

NO! Don't change the name, I think Nomlettes is perfect!

[iluvfood]

Love the name; it reminds me of being a child and saying "Num NUM!!" to someone particularly tasty. If I wanted to make this w/egg, would I just substitute one egg for the flaxseed & water combo?

[Linda Watson]

Thanks, Ilovfood! Love the Num NUM!

I think this would work well with one egg instead of the flaxseed & water. If it's too fluffy, cut the baking powder to 3/4 teaspoon. Let us know how it turns out.

[bettya]

Linda, I made this last night for dinner, the only change being spinach instead of kale in the filling. It was delicious! The chickpea pancakes/crepes (nomelettes) were tender. There was one left over which I reheated in the microwave, with filling, today for lunch and it was just as good as before. Thanks for this recipe which I will make again (and also be able to serve to my gluten-free friend).
Betty

[Linda Watson]

Betty, that means so much coming from a great cook like you! Thanks! I'm glad you pointed out that it's gluten-free & good reheated too!