Tag Archives: Egg

No-Yolk Egg Salad on Crispbreads

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The truth about a classic egg salad sandwich

Egg Salad CrispbreadSometimes, I crave an egg salad sandwich. I love this sandwich, particularly for the creamy egg salad filling.  That is, until I looked up its nutritional content.

Shockingly, a classic egg salad sandwich from delis and restaurants can contain up to 400 to 700 cal per serving. Also its cholesterol can reach well over 400 mg (over 150% of daily allowance on a 2000 cal diet). Its total fat –  up to 19 to 49 g (29 to 75% of daily allowance). Eating this stuff even on a weekly basis can put your cardiologist on alert.

Time I made a healthier version

Evidently, if I want to continue having egg salad sandwiches, I needed to reinvent the recipe and turn it into a healthy egg salad sandwich.

So, I asked myself, “Is it the flavor and texture, or the eggs and mayonnaise that I am craving?” My answer was that it’s a little bit of everything. After tinkering with the recipe a few times. I am very pleased with this healthier version.

No-Yolk Egg Salad on Crispbreads
 
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Having learned about the true nutritional value of a classic egg salad sandwich, I set out to create this healthier version.
Author:
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8

Ingredients
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • 1 garlic
  • ⅔ cup light mayonnaise
  • 8 oz semi firm tofu, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp pickle juice
  • Dash of black pepper
  • 16 whole grain crispbreads, see detail
  • 4 oz English cucumber, cut into 16 thin slices
  • 8 oz baby spinach

Instructions
  1. Place eggs in a pot.
  2. Cover eggs with water up to about ½ inch above the eggs.
  3. Add vinegar to egg.
  4. Bring water to a boil, then shut off heat and let eggs steep for 14 minutes.
  5. While the eggs are being cooked, pound together thyme and garlic in a mortar to form a rough paste.
  6. In a large bowl, mix together light mayonnaise, tofu, mustard, lemon juice, pickle juice, thyme-garlic paste, and a dash of black pepper.
  7. Rinse eggs in cold water.
  8. Peel eggs and remove yolk.
  9. Roughly chop egg white and combine it with the salad mix.
  10. Place 2 to 3 slices of English cucumber onto each crispbread.
  11. Scoop about 2 tbsp of egg salad on top of the cucumber for each crispbread.
  12. For each serving, rest 2 crispbreads next to or on top of 1 oz of baby spinach.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 232 Fat: 8.1 g Carbohydrates: 33.2 g Sugar: 1.8 g Sodium: 415 mg Fiber: 6.5 g Protein: 10.2 g Cholesterol: 5 mg

Things you may want to know about this recipe

  • After making the salad, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 min to 1 hour before using. Doing so allows the flavors to blend.
  • You can also chop up the cucumber and mix it into the salad. That will make assembling the crispbreads even simpler.
  • These egg salad crispbreads can be paired with a soup such as my Hurry Curry Carrot Soup.
  • This recipe is perfect to be taken as lunch. To do so, simply keep the the egg salad, cucumber, baby spinach and crispbreads separate.  Combine them when you are ready to eat.

 

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Reduced Yolk Deviled Eggs with Tofu

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My first time cooking home-farm eggs

Deviled Eggs with Reduced YolkRecently, a coworker gave me a dozen of home-farm eggs from her sister’s farm. Unlike the uniform white eggs from the supermarket, these eggs came with various colors. I have never lived on a farm before, let alone having seen home-farm eggs. I found them fascinating.

It was Easter Sunday, so I decided to turn them into deviled eggs to add to the hors d’oeuvres for  my guests. I recreated the flavored mayonnaise from one of my previous recipes: Thyme and Garlic BLT with Added Turkey, and mixed in some tofu. They turned out to be a party delight of the day.

Reduced Yolk Deviled Eggs with Tofu
 
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Reduce the cholesterol in classic deviled eggs with tofu. Follow the recipe to find out how…
Author:
Recipe type: Hors d’oeuvres
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6

Ingredients
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 oz firm tofu
  • 1 ½ tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp thyme, pounded in a mortar or rubbed between palms
  • ½ clove garlic, pressed
  • ¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp Sriracha
  • Pinch paprika

Instructions
  1. Gently place eggs in a pot and cover with water up to 1 ½ inch above the egg
  2. Add vinegar
  3. Bring water to a boil
  4. Turn off heat, let eggs steep in hot water for 14 minutes
  5. Drain water, replace with cold water and ice and cool eggs for 10 minutes
  6. Peel eggs, cut each egg in half along the tip and base.
  7. Remove yolks, saving 3 yolks only, discard three.
  8. Mix together 3 egg yolks, tofu, dijon mustard, thyme, pressed garlic, low-fat mayonnaise, lemon juice, sriracha until creamy.
  9. Transfer creamed egg yolk into a zipped top bag.
  10. Make a cut at the corner of the zipped top bag.
  11. Pipe the yolk mixture into each hollowed egg white.
  12. Sprinkle some paprika on top.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 69 g Calories: 93 Fat: 6.3 g Saturated fat: 1.4 g Carbohydrates: 3.7 g Sugar: 1.1 g Sodium: 176 mg Protein: 6 g Cholesterol: 107 mg

Things you may want to know about this recipe

Although I cut the amount of egg yolks in half, this recipe is still considered high in cholesterol – 36% daily allowance based on a 2000 calorie diet . Therefore, count your eggs while you enjoy them. Or if you wish, replace all your egg yolks with 5 oz of tofu. Doing so will instantly lower the cholesterol from 107 mg to just 3 mg.

 

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No-cheese Diet Omelette with Korean Bulgogi Beef – Get surprised by having an omelette for lunch!

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I love Korean food. I am also fond of taking leftovers from Korean restaurants to work the next day. As I was researching the recipe Bold and Flavorful Kimchi Fried Rice, I discovered that Korean ingredients are well-suited for making lunch. The banchan (pickled or marinated side dishes) are portable. They also do not need reheating. The bulgogi beef (marinated barbecued meat) remains flavorful in a packed lunch a day later.

With that in mind, I began dreaming up lunch recipes with Korean foods. This time, I was obsessed with combining bulgogi beef and eggs, and came up with this no-cheese diet omelette.

Serves 4

  • 1⁄2 lb (230 gm) sliced sirloin
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Korean barbecue sauce (what is it ?)
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil
  • 1 cup green onion, chopped
  • 3 Tablespoon (90 ml) Gochujang, Korean chili paste (what is it ?)
  • 6 eggs
  • Grapeseed oil, enough to coat sizzler and omelette pan, you can also use other high smoke point oils such as peanut or canola oil

I recommend grilling the bulgogi ahead of time or save the leftovers from restaurants. To grill your own bulgogi, marinate sirloin beef in a mixture of Korean barbecue sauce, sesame oil and 1⁄2 cup of green onion for 30 to 45 minutes. The best result comes from grilling the beef on a cast iron sizzling pan on your barbecue.

Preheat the sizzling pan on the barbecue grill, then grill the beef on the pan in a closed barbecue for 3 to 5 minutes. Then turn the beef and grill for another 3 to 5 minutes. As the beef and sauce start to caramelize, remove from heat and mix it with 1⁄2 cup of green onion. Use a pair of scissors to cut up the beef. You can save the beef for later or use it right away.

Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon of gochujang – Korean chili paste, with an express blender (what is it?), or a regular blender. Coat your omelette pan with grapeseed oil and preheat. Pour 1⁄3 cup of egg mixture onto the pan. Adjust heat to medium-high. Swirl the mixture around to spread the egg. As the egg batter starts to cook, add about 1⁄2 cup of chopped beef to the lower half of the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of gochujang onto the beef. When the egg batter begins to set,use a silicone spatula (where can I get one?) to peel back the top half of the egg and fold it over to cover the beef. Cook the omelette just until the 2 halves fuse together. Do not overcook the egg.

Serve each omelette on a bed of chopped lettuce. To complete this Korean meal, pair it with banchan and kimchi fried rice.

This dish travels well. Make sure you put the omelette and lettuce in separate containers so that you can reheat just the omelette on a low heat fry pan, toaster oven, or microwave. To add lively variety, take along some banchan.

Lunch on…

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Protein Packed Chicken and Egg Lavash Roll

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Which came first, chicken or egg? That’s not really the question. The question is, why do they make a healthy lunch? The answer is that they are both sources of complete protein.

When we eat lunch, our goal is to get energy. On top of that, adding complete protein can sustain that energy. Why? It is because protein does not make our blood sugar and insulin level rise sharply. That rise will ultimately result in an energy “crash” as the levels drop. So, eating carbohydrates gives you initial energy. But mixing in protein can sustain it.

Like everything else, there are good and bad proteins. According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, the smart way to eat protein is to choose lower-fat protein.

The secret of this recipe lies within the tofu dressing. To find out how to make this dressing, visit Fools You Tofu Veggie Dip. This time, I added lower-fat proteins from chicken breast and egg white to show you how to make a high-octane, low-fat protein lunch wrap that allows you to keep up with work demand.

  • 1 pack whole wheat lavash bread (to be used as wraps)
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced 2 to 3 cups dry day-old bread, broken into large chunks 1 garlic
  • 6 oz silken tofu 2 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce
  • 3 Tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoon mustard or horseradish
  • 6 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 Hard-boiled egg, yolks removed, halved
  • 1 Whole breast from store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin-off, roughly separated
  • Salt to taste, added last depending on the saltiness of the store-bought chicken

Almost all the preparation was done in my Cuisinart Prep 9 food processor (show me what it is).

Pulse together day-old bread and garlic. Then add tofu, sriracha, lemon juice, mustard/ horseradish and blend until smooth. Drizzle olive oil into the mixture to thicken the sauce. Next, add chicken and egg white and pulse a few times, retaining the chunks.

On a flat surface, lay down one lavash wrap with the short side facing you. Using a spatula, spread the mixture over the wrap close to the side-edges, but stop at about 1/4 towards the top edge. Lay the cucumber slices onto the mixture. Next, starting from the bottom edge, roll the wrap up tightly like a jelly roll where the bottom edge will eventually become the center of the roll.

Wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set. Then unwrap the rolls, cut away the ends, cut the roll into 1-inch slices, and you are ready to eat. This roll is easy to pack for lunch. You can arrange the slices cut side up and placed in a lunchbox, or just eat the roll uncut like a traditional wrap sandwich. Shh! my added secret is to squeeze sriracha sauce onto the roll once every few bites. That truly adds some nice zing! I find that this roll pairs nicely with tomato soup too.

Once made, enjoy the wrap within a day before the lavash bread becomes too moist. There you have it! What a fun way to eat protein.

~Lunch on.

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Reference:

  • Nutrition basics: Protein (2011). Nutrition for everyone. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from CDC, Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html
  • New research shows high-quality protein in eggs contributes to power, strength and energy: Eggs provide affordable source of high-quality protein for sustained energy (2009). Nutrition Today. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from Eurekalert, Web site: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-02/epr-nrs021309.php
  • Food groups: Protein foods, ChooseMyPlate.gov. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from USDA, Web site: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/protein-foods.html
  • Rones, N. (March 1 2007). Your Guide to Never Feeling Tired Again. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from WebMD, Web site: http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/your-guide-to-never-feeling-tired-again

Further reads on incorporating protein in your diet

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Thyme Blossom Breakfast Casserole: A Mother’s Day Brunch Made Just in Thyme

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My thyme is blossoming in my herb garden, just in time for creating a dish to celebrate Mother’s Day. Therefore, I designed this easy-to-make, easy-to-travel dish for Mother’s Day brunch, perfect for celebrating the day either in your house or your mom’s.

  • 3 branches of fresh thyme, leaves only
  • ½ branch of fresh rosemary, leaves only
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 pound mild (unless your mama likes it hot) Italian pork sausage, cooked
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 6 slices of day-old bread crust, somewhat soft (I prefer whole-grain)
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated or cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup of day-old bread, soft parts only, torn
  • 5 to 6 branches of fresh thyme blossoms, flowers only

Combine thyme and rosemary and chop roughly. Transfer the chopped herb into a mortar. Add ½ teaspoonful each of salt and pepper and grind the herb and spices until fragrant. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Then add the half and half and ground herbs. Add another ½ teaspoonful salt and pepper to the final egg batter and set aside. Next, cook pork sausage and set aside.

Butter the inside of a 13×10-inch baking pan. To the bottom of the pan, lay down slices of day-old bread. You may need to re-size and arrange the bread to fill the gaps. Layer on cooked sausage. Add cheese. Cover the sausage and cheese completely with the egg batter. Then place torn bread between the sausage and cheese. Cover the pan and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the casserole for 25 to 30 minutes or until you see a golden crust on top. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of the dish and remove. If you do not see uncooked egg, the dish is done.

As the dish is resting, sprinkle the thyme blossoms on top and let the residual heat release the aroma of the blossoms. The resulting dish promises to be a joy for the senses of sight, smell and taste.

This dish travels well. Therefore, if you need to travel to your mom on mother’s day, you can simply cover the dish, take it to her house and enjoy.

There you have it.

Have a great Mother’s Day!

~Lunch on

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