Food: Egging On

Scrambled. Poached. Sunny side up.
Hard-boiled. The list of ways to enjoy eggs goes on and on—but eggs aren’t just for breakfast! This easy-to-prepare morning-meal staple can also be used in salads, desserts—even as a dinner main course. The American Egg Board offers a wide range of egg-based recipes, including quite a few with Latin flavor. Though their yolks are high in cholesterol, recent findings indicate that, when balanced with their overall low fat content, eggs are probably not largely responsible for boosting cholesterol levels. And in addition to being packed with protein, eggs have been shown to aid in weight loss, partly due to the fact that they contain no trans fats, and partly due to the fact that they average out at about 75 calories each. They’re also full of vitamins B-12 and E, folic acid, iron, and calcium.

For more information and recipes, visit the American Egg Board, at www.aeb.org.

Eggstra Easy Taco Salad

4 hard-cooked eggs
4 cups torn salad greens
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
4 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives, optional
1/2 cup bottled reduced-fat
Italian salad dressing
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 to 1 cup (1 to 2 oz.) tortilla or corn chips
Parsley sprigs, optional

Wedge one of the hard-cooked eggs and reserve 4 wedges for garnish. Chop remaining eggs. On 4 individual salad plates or in an 8x8x2-inch baking dish or a 1 1/2-quart serving dish, layer salad greens, onion, chopped eggs, seasoning, bacon, tomatoes, and olives, if desired. Cover and chill several hours or overnight. To serve, top with dressing and cheese. Garnish with tortilla chips, reserved egg wedges, and parsley, if desired.

Arroz con Huevos

1 cup water
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons bottled taco sauce or salsa
1/2 cup chopped tomato
4 eggs
1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, stir together water, rice, onion, garlic and salt, if desired. Cover. Over high heat, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to keep water simmering. About 10 minutes before rice is done (check rice package for total cooking time needed), stir in green pepper and taco sauce. Re-cover and cook until rice is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in tomato. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm while poaching eggs.

In a saucepan or deep omelet pan, bring 2 to 3 inches of water to a boil. Reduce heat to keep water gently simmering. Break cold eggs, 1 at a time, into custard cup or saucer or break several into bowl. Holding dish close to water’s surface, slip eggs, 1 by 1 into water. Cook until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 3 to 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, lift out eggs. Drain in spoon or on paper towels and trim any rough edges, if desired.

To serve, spoon 1/2 of the reserved rice mixture onto each of 2 plates. Top each with 2 of the poached eggs, sprinkle each egg with 1 tablespoon of the cheese.

Tortilla Quesadillas

2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon butter or cooking oil or cooking spray
2 tablespoons drained canned diced green chilies
1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded, reduced fat Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
1 (8-inch) flour or corn tortilla
Cilantro sprigs, optional
Salsa, optional

In a small bowl, beat together eggs and water until blended. In a 7- to 10-inch omelet pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg mixture. (Mixture should set immediately at edges).
With an inverted pancake turner, carefully push cooked portions at edges toward center so uncooked portions can reach hot pan surface, tilting pan and moving cooked portions as necessary. When top is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, sprinkle with chilies and cheese.
Place tortilla on plate. With pancake turner, carefully slide egg onto tortilla. Fold tortilla and egg in half, then fold in half again. Garnish with cilantro and serve with salsa, if desired.

Omelet Rancheros

1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
1/4 cup salsa or taco sauce, divided
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons (0.5 oz.) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
Lemon and lime wedges, optional

In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together beans and 2 tablespoons of the salsa. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Keep warm while preparing omelet.
In a small bowl, beat together eggs and water until blended. Evenly coat a 7- to 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg mixture. (Mixture should set immediately at edges.) With an inverted pancake turner, carefully push cooked portions at edges toward center so uncooked portions can reach hot pan surface, tilting pan and moving cooked portions as necessary. Cook until top is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains.
Spread hot bean mixture down center of omelet. Sprinkle with cheese. With pancake turner, fold sides of omelet over beans and cheese. Slide from pan onto plate. Spoon on remaining salsa. Garnish with lemon and lime wedges, if desired
 

[This article has been edited for www.latinastyle.com. For the full version, check out the March/April issue of LATINA Style.]

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