For the past month, Karel and I have been making egg salad. Each time is different with a new ingredient in our recipe. Last night I made a delicious and spicy egg salad which went great on top of a bed of spinach. Unfortunately, I didn't make enough and we have no leftovers.
Egg salad can be so healthy but if you buy it pre-made in the store or follow the basic egg salad recipe, you are likely to consume a lot of fat and calories.
Here's a typical egg salad recipe....
* 8 eggs
1 egg = 78 calories, 5.4g fat, 212mg cholesterol, 6.3g protein
* 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tbsp = 90 calories, 10g fat
* 2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp = 5 calories, 120mg sodium
* 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 red onion, minced
Here's my recipe....
*5 egg whites
1 egg white = 16 calories, 4g protein
*2 egg yokes
(Or 3 egg whites + 2 whole eggs)
*1/3 cup diced purple onion
*2 cloves garlic (diced)
*1/4 cup green peppers (diced)
*1/2 can of diced tomatoes and green chili's (you can use fresh but I happened to have a can in my pantry)
*1/2 tbsp olive oil Mayo (or fat-free mayo)
*2 tsp. spicy mustard
*1/8 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (you can use shredded or if you use it in a shaker, use 2 tbsp)
*Pepper and cayenne pepper
-To cook perfect hard boiled eggs, boil water in a pot. When the water is boiling, slowly add your eggs to the pot. I use a ladle (or any cooking spoon) to slowly drop the eggs into the water. When the eggs are added, turn down the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes. After the eggs are finished cooking, empty out the water and fill the pot with cold water for 2-3 minutes. When you are peeling your eggs, peel them under cold water. I have cracked my eggs by adding them too quickly to the water so another easy tip is to cook your eggs for 20 min. Turn the heat on high with the eggs already in the water. When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and cook for the remainder of the 20 minutes.
-Egg salad is best chilled so try to make the egg salad ahead of time, before eating it.
-Always refrigerate your egg salad or keep chilled if taking it to work.
-Great ways to incorporate egg salad into your diet:
*Stuff pita bread with egg salad
*Use inside a wrap or on a bagel (or 1/2 bagel)
*Make a sandwich or an open face sandwich (even better, two open face sandwiches for double the egg salad!)
*Eat with pita chips (be sure to portion control!)
*Top your salad with egg salad
*Eat it all by itself
*In the mood for a high protein meal? Make an omelet and use my spicy egg salad recipe for the inside of the omelet (use only egg whites and skim milk when making the omelet. I recommend 2 egg whites and 2 tbsp skim milk)
*Change up your normal egg salad recipe. Add tofu, diced lean meat, veggie meat, different spices, fresh herbs, different cheeses (ex. goat cheese, blue cheese, mozzarella), different veggies (peas, corn, potatoes, zucchini, celery, cucumber, eggplant) or add seeds/nuts (sunflower seeds, soy nuts, chopped almonds).