‘Tis the season of cookouts, barbecues, and potluck picnics. As you’re searching for an easy yet impressive app or summer side to bring, consider deviled eggs. They’re flavorful, protein-packed crowd pleasers, and you can cut back on a little fat, cholesterol, and sodium by tweaking the classic recipe. Then have fun with creative toppings!
Deviled Egg Base
Not everything should be messed with. Stick with the classic hard-boiled egg base—unless you want to pickle the hard-boiled eggs with beets! Here’s a refresher on the easiest routes to get there.
- Boil on the stove: Place eggs in a saucepan filled with cool water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook eggs for 10 minutes.
- Buy a nifty microwave egg boiler if you’re cooking challenged. There are many on the market.
Fun fact: The freshest farm eggs are actually harder to peel, so for once, select “older” eggs or non-organic. Trouble peeling the shells? Try one of these hacks.
Directions: Peel the eggs and cut them length-wise. Then scoop out and set aside the yolks.
Healthy Filling Hacks
This is where you can make some healthier tweaks to your recipe.
- Replace all or some of the mayo with nonfat plain Greek yogurt
(or use low fat or heart-healthy canola mayo). - Limit the egg yolk if you want to cut out some more fat.
- Replace some egg yolk with nonfat cottage cheese or hummus.
- Or replace all egg yolk and other possible filling and use guacamole.
- Skip the mustard and use the yolks with avocado and light mayo or Greek yogurt.
- Use yellow or Dijon mustard, which already has good saltiness and acidity.
- Add some heat and flavor with Sriracha or Tabasco.
Tip: Sure, you can use a fork to mix the ingredients, but you’ll get a smoother filling with a food processor. And if you have cake decorating tools, use the frosting bag and/or dispenser and tips for a prettier fill!
Creative Toppings
Have fun! There are so many options once you have the classic hard-boiled egg base and filling.
- Go classic with paprika and salt & pepper.
- Kick things up with jalapeño slices, cayenne or chile pepper.
- Set up a BLT-esque egg with turkey bacon or Prosciutto and Parmesan.
- Serve “brunch” with a strawberry slice & dash of syrup.
- Channel game-time Buffalo apps with s wing sauce, blue cheese, and celery topping.
- Head south with a touch of BBQ sauce (instead of mustard) & French fried onions.
Other fun toppings: pickles, beets, chives, capers, pickled onions or okra, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, and dill. Your creativity is the limit!
