Vegetarian Spin on a Classic Omelette

Good morning! Today's breakfast was particularly hearty and delicious. When hubby and I lived in a different part of town, we used to always eat at a restaurant called "Aunt Emma's Pancake House." Epic food. For the breakfast special, you'd get a 2 egg omelette and 2 fluffy amazing pancakes for $3.99!! Hubby and I would share it, because it's a crap ton of food. Our favorite is, of course, the California Omelette.

Here in Southern California this omelette is traditionally filled with: cheese, sausage or bacon, and a copious amount of avocado. Since we had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to give it a whirl while trying my best to make it healthier. Gather your ingredients, and join me on the road to omelette heaven.

• 2 eggs
• shredded pepper jack cheese
• an avocado
• Morningstar fake bacon (or any brand you prefer)
• pre-made hash browns, or potatoes for shredding with the addition of onions and peppers
• red pepper flakes
• Tapatio (or another hot sauce)
• salsa
• 1/4 tablespoon butter, or oil, or margarine, or cooking spray to coat the pan
• pepper to taste
• splash of cream or half and half

First things first, you want to start your hash browns before you even prep since they take the longest to cook. Preheat a skillet on medium-high heat, give it a spritz of Pam and throw in your hash browns. I actually chopped up a little yellow onion for extra flavor and crunch, and threw that in too. Add in your seasonings (pepper, red pepper flakes, any other seasonings you'd like) and continue to cook, stirring frequently to prevent burning and sticking. Next, prep! Cut your avocado in half, scoop out the yummy insides, slice (reserve a few slices to garnish) and chop. Shred your pepper jack cheese and set aside.

Cook your bacon according to the package directions and crumble into little pieces. When the potatoes are cooked and crispy, take off heat and set aside. Add your butter to the hot pan and coat, I always hold it over the sink to drain off the excess butter. You want it lightly coated, not soaking wet. Take 2 eggs, break them into a bowl and add a splash of water, milk, cream, or half and half (that's what I use) and beat with a whisk. Add to your hot pan and move back and forth to cook it quickly and evenly. Moving your pan around with help get both sides well cooked. Flip the omelette, and add your fillers and a dash of hot sauce. Remove from heat, fold omelette over and let the cheese melt.

Top with extra cheese, avocado and salsa. I used my extra ingredients as a side, you don't really need them since this is so filling on it's own! If you wanted to serve this up with pancakes or toast I would honestly recommend doing smaller 1 egg omelettes for everyone.