Egg Recipes Nutritious Perfect Food

Farm Fresh Eggs, unwashed

Egg Recipes For Your Better Health

Egg recipes add to a choice of healthy dishes and eggs are flexible for all meals of the day from breakfast to dinner. Like other foods, not all eggs are created equal.

Eggs are known as the ‘perfect protein’ in many circles, along with essential omegas, vitamins and minerals. ‘Perfect protein’ means that all of the protein can be used by our body. Some have to forgo eggs altogether or limit the amount of eggs due to intolerances and allergies. Quality matters as it does with organic fruits and vegetables (the sprays and waxes are toxic chemicals).

Many people will have on their tongues ‘I cannot eat eggs because of my cholesterol.’ So what is the deal? According to some research cholesterol is at the root of artery blockages, whereas other research shows cholesterol not being the cause. Check out ‘Good Cholesterol: The Great Cholesterol Myth‘ for more answers.

After a little education on eggs check out the 3 Egg Recipes to try and create your own variations so you too can benefit from their nutritional value.

All About Eggs

After doing some more research, there could be a small book written about eggs.

Where to buy them? What kind to buy? Is there a difference between white and brown eggs? What is the difference between the eggs with Omega-3 on the label and ones without? What nutrients are in the egg?

On another note, I learned at the Royal Winter Fair that the colour of the egg matches the colour of the chicken – white chicken, white egg and brown chicken, brown egg. Did I feel silly BUT how many people do not know this?  I also assumed that brown eggs were healthier. This may be another situation of the whites are purer, cleaner, etc. and something for the elite like white bread.

Harvard School of Public Health wrote ‘eggs are now making a bit of a comeback.’ Sunny side up…egg recipes will be making a comeback too.

When I was young, breakfast at Gramma’s always included eggs made to your liking. “Easy over eggs” said I. Sure made the toast taste better. Truthfully, I used the word ‘gucky’ to ask for mine which means ‘slimy and mucky.’

How to Buy Your Eggs

Eggs are available at the corner store, grocery store, farmers market, farmer and perhaps in your backyard.  Here is the deal.

Eggs’ nutritional value will vary by its diet, drugs given, and living quarters. From one end of the spectrum, the chicken is out roaming around in the countryside, happy as a hen, eating its natural diet. Chickens are omnivores so they like worms, and such. If you are as old as I or older, you will remember the cartoons where the chicken is struggling with a worm in a hole – dinnertime! These eggs are available at the farmers market, local farm and in your country backyard.

Not all farmers do it this way so you have to ask the farmers if the chickens go outside and what do they eat – worms, insects, corn, organic grain, etc.

If you purchase free range eggs from the stores, then note that the chickens are on a grain fed diet only and it may be regulated that the chickens cannot go outside – there will be some benefit knowing it is organic feed (not GMO corn or soybeans) but the nutritional value will be different. For example, the Essential Fatty Acid ratio (Omega 6 and Omega 3 Balance) will be different:

Nutrition Information – Amounts per One Cup or 4.86 eggs or 253 g

The ideal ratio is striving for a 1:1 ratio.  Oops, these eggs are not so balanced but I have not read any that are. The lowest I have seen in my research was 10:1 Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio but perhaps an egg has not been tested where by the chicken had the life in fresh air and a natural diet. The Saturated and Monounsaturated fats are higher than Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs).

Leave the yolk out! The yolk is part of the whole egg and contains essential nutrients. Should you be allergic to eggs then don’t eat them at all until you have had a chance to heal the gut, furthermore if you do not know but have health challenges then perhaps eat eggs only a couple times a week.

Nutrition in the Yolk for One Large Egg 17 g [source link]

• Calcium  22 mg
• Phosphorus  66 mg
• Selenium  9.5 mg
• Folate  25 µg
• B Vitamin Choline  139 mg
• Vitamin A, Retinal, Carotenes  130 µg
• Vitamin A  245 IU
• Lutein + zeaxanthin  186 µg
• Vitamin D  37 µg
• Omega 6 18:2 short chain LA – .601 g of total PUFAs .715 g
• Omega 3 18:3 short chain ALA – .018 g

Here is the kicker. We would mostly think of the egg as an animal source of Omegas versus plant and fish but the type of Omegas indicated above are short chain – the egg is from a bird not a mammal. What does that mean? The egg contains short chain Omegas. Short chain Omegas need to be converted to long chain and according to research a very small amount is converted and does not fill the requirements of our brain, nerves, etc. This would lead to possible Omega deficiencies (‘Omega 3 Foods‘ for more information on conversion).

Benefit of Making Egg Recipes

• Brain food
• Fetal brain development
• Muscle building
• And more…

Soft Boiled Eggs

Have I been doing it all wrong or just another way? This method saves electricity.

Step 1: Put the eggs into a pan/pot roomy enough to hold them without crowding with cold water to cover by at least 1 inch.

Step 2: Over high heat, heat water and eggs until just fully boiling.

Step 3: Remove  pan/pot from heat, cover tightly and let stand for 1 minute (super soft yolk) or 2 minutes (medium soft-cooked). OK you want hard-cooked eggs for egg salad sandwiches and such, let sit for 15 minutes or less.

Source: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, New York circa 1980

Salad Dressing (raw eggs!)

Caesar Salad Dressing

2 heads (organic) romaine lettuce, chilled – OK to use other greens too!

1 egg (i.e. free range or farm fresh)

1/2 cup/125 ml cold pressed olive oil (i.e. Organic)

1/4 cup/62.5 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 to 3/4 cup/125-187.5 ml grated parmesan/romano cheese

Plus more grated cheese for sprinkling on top…most people love cheese

1 teaspoon/5 ml organic apple cider vinegar

Greens and Roast Chicken with Caesar Salad Dressing

2 garlic cloves

Pinch of sea salt & a couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper

Blend all in a blender (except lettuce) then add to lettuce. Toss well and serve.

I usually double the recipe and use for a few days to a week. Recently, my roast chicken and salad was covered in this Caesar Salad dressing.

After being in the fridge, the caesar salad dressing would make a good dip for veggies or a good spread for sandwiches.

If you want to add to other dishes like chicken where the caesar salad dressing and food is cold, I would recommend to slightly warm up the salad dressing (put glass container in hot water from tap) so you can pour it on the food. However in my case, the chicken was very hot and it melted on its own.

Source: My sister’s friend from a long time ago. Other healthy Simple Salad Dressings.

Sunnyside Eggs

If you like the yolk, sunnyside eggs are yolk nutritious. They are easy to make and fast food.

Step 1: Heat skillet on medium heat with approximately 1 tablespoon or 15 ml (small skillet) or 3 tablespoons or 45 ml (medium-sized skillet) of butter fat/ghee.

Step 2: Once fat is melted and hot, turn down to low heat.

Step 3: One at a time, break the eggs into a saucer or cup and slip them into the skillet.

Step 4: Cook until the egg whites are cooked through. Add greens to the plates. Remove eggs from pan, season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, etc.

Source: A variation of The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, New York circa 1980

Some Additions

With these egg recipes, the theme is to keep the yolk soft or do as I do, crack a couple of eggs into a small glass and down the hatch. Sometimes I add some freshly ground pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, etc.  Another way to use whole raw eggs is in eggnog or a protein shake. Shake it up with egg recipes.

Eggs and safety are very important too. In other countries, they do not put their eggs in the fridge but if you buy eggs that have been stored in the fridge then they need to be kept in the fridge. Also, if your eggs have been washed then best to store in fridge, hence, most store bought eggs are kept in the fridge as they have been washed.

You can use the shells as a source of calcium. I wash, air dry and crush the eggshells then sprinkle it in the garden.

Consider your options for purchasing your eggs and use eggs safely in your egg recipes.

Down to earth foods – EGGS. Enjoy these egg recipes and share your comments afterwards. Stay tuned for more egg recipes, including my squash nog.

For your better health,

Cheryl