Economical Eggs

If you want to improve the nutritional value of your diet and economize at the same time, consider eating more eggs. They’re super nutritious, delicious, versatile, and relatively inexpensive. Eggs contain a protein of such high value that its the standard against which all other proteins are measured. 

Eggs are rich in potassium, phosphorus, folic acid, pantothenic acid, vitamin B12, biotin, thiamine, niacin, the fat soluble vitamins A, D and E, the amino acid methionine, and, in some cases, omega-3 essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) if the chickens receive the raw materials to make them.

How often can you safely consume eggs?
As often as you like. Three, four, five, or six times a week, although I like more variety so I don't eat them every day. I do eat them several (about three to five) times a week and I never toss out the yolks (the most nutrient-dense part!) You can read more about the benefits of eggs and egg yolks in my book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet and Cookbook.

While it is commonly, but erroneously, believed that eating cholesterol rich foods will elevate serum cholesterol, numerous studies have shown this belief to be false.  The famous Framingham Heart Study found that dietary cholesterol has no influence on serum cholesterol.  In fact, in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1992, the director of that study, Dr. William Castelli wrote “In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person’s serum cholesterol....”

Cholesterol is essential for your brain, eyes, nervous system, and many other organs and systems in your body. A healthy brain contains generous amounts of cholesterol. If don’t eat enough of it, your body will manufacture it or try go without and then be unable to make the hormones it requires, as sometimes happens to people who follow vegan diets.

Although many organizations caution against eating more than three eggs per week, there is absolutely no scientific justification for such restriction.  Researchers have noted an inverse relationship between egg consumption and death from heart disease.  A 1996 analysis of world wide of egg consumption found that France, Spain, and Japan all have a high per capita consumption of eggs the lowest rates of death from heart disease!  For more about egg and cholesterol myths, check out Thincs (The Internatitional Association of Cholesterol Skeptics) and the Cholesterol and Health Blog, which counters the misinformation we've been fed about cholesterol and health.

Banish the bars
Protein bars have become increasingly popular over the past 10 years. People use them to replace meals and snacks. However, you pay a lot of money for the concentrated calories they provide and you miss out on the benefits of eating real, fresh, whole foods. Even if pass on the bars that contain fructose, high fructose corn syrup, refined white sugar, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings and flavorings, and chemical names and numbers, you’ll be paying a lot for the packaged product.  Many of the health food store versions still contain highly processed ingredients and have a composition more like a candy bar than a wholesome meal. The bars made from dried fruits pack a hefty dose of concentrated carbohydrates.

Better alternatives
You’d be better off nutritionally and financially choosing unrefined whole foods for snacks and mini meals. For the cost of one protein bar, you could buy a dozen eggs. For the cost of two protein bars, you could buy a dozen pasture-raised or organic, free-range eggs and some fresh fruit, which would provide more snacks or mini-meals than a processed, packaged meal replacement bar. Whole foods require more chewing, increasing your feeling of satiety and reducing the likelihood of overeating. How long does a glorified candy bar really satisfy anyone?

What can you do with the eggs?
Hard boil them and turn them into Deviled Eggs ( I call Angeled Eggs, since the other name makes them sound so evil!) or egg salad, or slice and add them to a salad with fish, chicken, or meat. The eggs go well with sliced celery, jicama, leftover blanched vegetables, or wrapped in lettuce leaves and secured with a toothpick. Hard boiled eggs also taste delicious dipped into herbed sea salt or sea vegetable flakes or topped with hot sauce or salsa, accompanied by celery, jicama sticks, or cherry or grape tomatoes.

For a more substantial sit down meal, consider an omelet, scrambled, fried, or poached eggs. Of these, scrambled eggs and omelets travel best. I’ve packed them for breakfast with sautéed, blanched, or stir fried vegetables from the night before and a piece of fruit and enjoyed them served at room temperature when I’ve had to eat breakfast away from home.

Plan ahead
If you hard boil a dozen or more eggs on the weekend, you can set yourself and your family members up for several easy meals or healthy snacks.

I figure 3 to 4 eggs per person for a main meal (eating 2 or 3 times a day). If you eat 3 times a day and include something starchy in the meal, 2 eggs per person might be enough. If you’re physically active and eat only twice a day, you’ll need some additional protein source, such as meat or sausage, to go with your eggs. I figure 1 to 3 eggs per person for a snack, depending upon what you plan to serve them. Sometimes I serve eggs along with another protein (bacon, sausage, leftover chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, or fish).

Easy assembly
Last Friday, I had a few ounces of leftover steak tartare for dinner with a a couple of Angeled Eggs, a crisp green salad (the veggies were washed in advance), and a fresh, ripe pear with some toasted pecans. I had the meal ready in mere minutes. I didn’t have to cook a thing because I’d boiled a dozen eggs several days before.

This morning I turned 4 hard boiled eggs into a curried egg salad garnished with raw bell pepper and served them with leftover steamed carrots and broccoli, Chebe (manioc/cassava-based, gluten-free, grain-free) Bread Sticks, and applesauce I made last week, all served with a cup of Teecchino (roasted chicory root coffee alternative) with coconut milk and stevia.

This meal was easy to assemble, delicious, and satisfying. While the frozen Chebe dough baked in the toaster oven, the veggies and eggs came to room temp.  I seasoned ground chicken for tonight's Kafta Kabobs to go with leftover roasted Brussels sprouts and Poached Pears with Raisins, Turkish Dried Apricots and toasted pecans).

Do you really know how to boil an egg?
You may think that anyone can boil an egg; however, my experience has been that most people overcook the eggs, which creates a greenish hue around the outside of the yolk, making them more difficult to digest and more likely to cause sulfurous smelling flatulence. Eggs cooked more lightly retain more of their essential fatty acids (such as EPA and DHA found in pasture raised eggs, free range eggs from chickens that run around in a garden, yard or on a farm and have access to bugs, worms, and grubs, and commercial eggs labeld EPA-or DHA-rich eggs from chickens fed a special diet).

How perfectly boil eggs
When I was growing up I used to hard boil eggs….for 30 minutes. I had no idea that I could have accomplished what I wanted cooking the eggs for 1/20th to 1/60th of the time. Now I know that the eggs only need to boil for 30 to 60 seconds. Try this method. I think you’ll be amazed at the difference.

Perfectly Hard-Boiled Eggs
Prep: 5 minutes/ Cooking: 1 minute (plus 25 minutes to rest)/ Yield: 12 eggs
               
Most people boil eggs far too long, resulting in dry, greenish tinged, difficult-to-digest yolks. This recipe is easy, only the instructions are long. You’ll learn it by heart after a few tries. Consider preparing 1 dozen or even two dozen eggs on the weekend to set you up for easy meals and snacks during the week.

Ingredients:

• Filtered water
• 12 medium to large free-range chicken or duck eggs, rinsed
• 4 to 6 ice cubes
• Ground black pepper, lemon pepper or hot sauce, optional

1. Arrange eggs in a 2-quart saucepan. Cover with 1 to 1 1/2 inches of cold water. Cover pot and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Cook 30 to 60 seconds. (That’s right, SECONDS!) Remove from heat, and allow eggs to rest in covered pot for 15 minutes. 
2. Drain, and cover eggs with ice water for 10 minutes, then drain and refrigerate them in the shell. Or, tap lightly and peel, or roll eggs between your palms to free shells and skin.
3. Refrigerate peeled eggs in tightly covered container. A wide mouth Mason jar or Pyrex container works well. Use peeled eggs within 1 week, unpeeled eggs within 10 days.

 
2 medium chicken eggs: 128 calories,12 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 44 mg calcium, 110 mg sodium
2 large chicken eggs: 146 calories, 12 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate,10 g fat, 50 mg calcium, 126 mg sodium

 Angeled Eggs/Deviled Eggs

Prep: 20 minutes/ Cooking: 20 to 30 minutes/ Yield: 6 delicious eggs   Serves: 2-3
       
Angled....deviled, what’s the difference? Deviled sounds so much less inviting and puts the eggs in such an unfavorable light. There’s nothing evil about these eggs, especially if you’re using locally grown pasture-raised or at least EPA/DHA-rich eggs from a health food store and mayonnaise that doesn’t contain refined vegetable oils (soy, safflower, sunflower, canola, or generice vegetable oil) or hydrogenated oils. For the richest, smokiest flavor, use bittersweet (not hot) smoked paprika.

Shopping for Mayo: The best tasting brand I’ve found with the simplest ingredients is Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Oil Veganaise. It contains trace amounts of soy protein, which I usually avoid, but this one doesn’t taste beany, doesn’t cause disgestive distress, and contains better ingredients than the other bottled mayos I’ve seed in natural foods stores that are made from refined, polyunsatured oils. If you avoid even trace amounts of soy protein, look for Omega 3 Mayo in natural foods stores or make your own.

Note: If you want to make your own mayo, use extra virgin avocado oil with or without a little flax oil for a more mild flavor than you’d get using olive oil. You can also find recipes on line for making mayo from bacon fat or rendered (preferably grass-fed) beef tallow. I haven’t tried them yet, but I plan to soon. Double this recipe if desired, particularly if cooking for two or more people.

Ingredients:

• 6 Hard-Boiled Eggs (see previous recipes for special tips)
• 1 to 1 1 teaspoons prepared mustard (white or yellow mustard) or 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric, optional (antioxidant)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or ground chipotlé (smoked dried jalapeno)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced (thoroughly washed) fresh chives, parsley, tarragon or chervil or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled herbs
• 1/4 cup minced sweet white onion or scallion or 2 teaspoons minced shallots, optional
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, seasoned rice vinegar or organic apple cider vinegar, optional
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise or Homemade Mayonnaise*
• Paprika or bittersweet smoked paprika, to dust egg halves

1. Peel eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Add yolks to a medium bowl with remaining ingredients (except paprika). Mix and mash into a coarse cream with a fork or potato masher.
2. Portion and spoon heaping teaspoon-size balls of yolk mixture into the egg white halves, then evenly divide any remaining mixture. Dust with paprika.
3. Cover in a glass or Pyrex container and refrigerate. Use within 3 days.  

Variations:

• For wet mustard substitute 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard. For a spicy kick, double the pepper.
• Egg Salad (serves 2): Mash whites with yolks and seasonings. Serve on toasted gluten-free bread or breadsticks (such as Chebe Bread) with lettuce or baby greens, cucumber, bell pepper, celery, and grated carrot or whatever colorful veggies you have on hand. For roll-ups, wrap tablespoon sized portions of egg salad in lettuce leaves and secure with toothpicks. Or serve egg salad stuffed into cored cherry or roma tomatoe.

Comments

[emily- www.mplsrealfoodlover.com]

i have finally found a mayo that doesn't contain yucky veggie oils and DOES contain good stuff,including coconut oil, its made by Wilderness Family Naturals. it's not cheap but it is good!

check it out!
http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/category/dressings-condiments-mayo.php

Hi Emily,

I visited the company's web site and their product sounds interesting. I want to try it. Thanks for the tip.

Chef Rachel

[Kristin White]

I never thought about how expensive protein bars are, but when you compared it to the cost of a dozen eggs, wow! Hard boiled eggs are nearly as portable as a protein bar I guess. Thanks for the perspective.