Eggcellent Egg Ideas

If your refrigerator resembles mine in the least, you likely have at least half a carton of hard boiled pretty shelled eggs sitting there staring at you, begging you to "eat me, eat me".  So I thought I would give you some helpful ideas or recipes for those eggs.  First let me give you some nutritional information about eggs, because really they have gotten kind of a bad rap over the past few years.  Eggs really are one of nature's most perfect foods.  They are jam packed with protein, and are a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, phosphorus and selenium.  
I created a little comparison chart for you of some popular breakfast foods, I think for overall nutrition you will find eggs are very competitive and for staying power (meaning they stay with you a long time) they win hands down.

Food	Calories	Protein	Fat
1 Large Egg	80	7 grams	6 grams
1 piece of whole wheat Toast with 1 Tbsp. of butter	128	4 grams	2 grams
1 8oz bowl of Cheerios cereal with 1 cup of skim milk	189	11 grams	2 grams
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with 1 Tbsp Plain Low Fat Cream cheese	186	2 grams	8 grams

Nutrition information found at http://nutritiondata.self.com

Hopefully I have convinced to give eggs a fair shot and now, to give you some new ideas on these fine yellow and white friends and how to add them into your diet (and lose weight) responsibly.  A new recipe I ran across while researching hard boiled eggs is simply.  You slice your new hardboiled friend using an egg slicer.  Next, toast a multi grain or whole wheat english muffin after brushing on a small amount of olive oil.  After it's toasted top it with a slice of tomato, followed by your sliced eggs and a little mozarella and oregano, stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and give a nice texture to your eggs, and voila a healthy nutritional breakfast or snack.


Next idea, how about deviled eggs you can actually not feel guilty about?  I am not a fan of deviled eggs but I have many family members who are, so I found a way to make them their favorite treats but trim the fat a bit.  Take your boiled egg, slice it in half and gently scoop the yolk into a mixing bowl.  I prefer my KitchenAid, but if you just have a regular bowl, it will work too.  Add in (for six eggs) 1/4 cup greek yogurt (I like Faje but there are other brands that will work too); 1 tbsp of dill pickle juice, 1 tsp. of dill weed, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper and mix until creamy.  If it isn't creamy enough add a little more pickle juice and yogurt.  Pipe it into your egg whites or spoon it in, top it with a sprinkle of paprika and either a tinsy bit of dill pickle relish or a pimento and you have tasty deviled eggs.


Egg salad sandwiches are always a favorite.  My egg salad recipe is very similar to my deviled eggs recipe only I add more yogurt, dill pickle relish, celery, chopped onion and put it all on a whole wheat tortilla or some toasted bread, top it with some green leafy spinach and you have a delicious sandwich.

My last suggestion is for an Asian noodle bowl.  Growing up my mom always made a dish we referred to as Chinese Noodles, based on a recipe my grandmother created from a dish she tried at a Chinese restaurant in Denver back in the 50's.  The basic recipe is you take cubed pork (pork chops or pork roast work best) and brown it.  I use a dutch oven because that is how my mom always did it.  To the pork you add minced onion while it is browning.  Once it is browned on all sides add the following spices to taste:  salt, pepper, Chinese 5 spice, parsley and soy sauce.  Add about eight to ten cups of water to create a broth.  Bring this to a boil and then lower the hit and simmer for at least an hour.  The longer you cook it the more tender the meat will be.  When you are almost ready to eat, cook up a package of thin egg noodles or rice noodles separately.  Pile each bowl to be served with noodles, top with the broth and meat and then serve with hard boiled eggs and sliced scallions. 


Happy Eating!