Healthy Deviled Eggs Recipe

Deviled eggs are a favorite for Easter (and more importantly, the day after!) but really there's no reason not to eat them whenever you want. I was looking for a way to make them a little bit healthier and found an ingredient that is creamy, mimics the texture of hardboiled egg yolks and has a very mild flavor--cannellini beans! I remove 1/3 of the yolks, then puree white beans with the remaining yolks, a little mayo, mustard, horseradish and some hot sauce then I fill the egg whites as usual. You would never know these are "light" deviled eggs, but they have 1/3 less fat yet plenty of protein and some added fiber.  

Deviled eggs are fun to make because you can customize them however you like. Someone came up to me after my demo at Macy's this weekend and told me she makes deviled eggs with pesto. I've made them with wasabi and also with curry powder. But the sky is the limit! Another option is just to top them with different garnishes. Some garnishes include fresh dill, smoked salmon, caviar, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes, capers (fresh or fried) and green onions or chives. If you want to use a spice, paprika is traditional but  I've also used smoked paprika, Old Bay seasoning and Cajun seasoning instead. 

I tried the method of baking eggs, but found they got very dark patches and one burst. I'm sticking with my tried and true method, I add eggs to a pot, cover them with cold water, bring to a simmer, turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Here are some more tips for hard boiling eggs:

1. Use eggs that have been in the refrigerator for a a week or two. Fresh eggs can be much harder to peel. 

2. Turn the egg carton on it's side in the refrigerator 24 hours before hard boiling, to help keep the yolks centered.

3. Don't add salt to the boiling water, it can toughen the egg whites. 

4. Once cooked, soak the eggs in cold or ice water to prevent that ugly green layer from forming on the yolks

5. Crack and peel the eggs in a bowl of water to help keep shells from sticking. 

A couple of tips for deviled eggs:

1. Use a pastry bag (or zip top bag with a corner snipped) to fill the deviled eggs. 

2. For round rather than oval shaped deviled eggs, cut the eggs in half across the middle and then cut a tiny slice off the bottom and they will stand perfectly. 

Healthy Deviled Eggs 

Makes a dozen deviled eggs 

Ingredients

6 hardboiled eggs

1/4 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise 

1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Hot sauce, to taste, optional

Instructions

Slice the hardboiled eggs in half. Remove the yolks, discarding two whole yolks and transferring the rest to a food processor bowl. To the yolks add the white beans, mustard, mayonnaise, horseradish and hot sauce to taste. Blend until smooth and creamy. 

Transfer the yolk mixture into a pastry bag, then fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture. Garnish as desired.

Enjoy! 

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salad Recipe

This recipe for Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad is brought to you by the fresh corn, leftover cotija cheese and a can of beans. And that lazy feeling that strikes during the Summer for something delicious yet easy. Like most everyone, I love fresh corn. Eight ears for 2 dollars? Sold! When corn is sweet it's a cinch to prepare. In addition to adding it to a salad, my other favorite ways to prepare it are making corn chowder (I make a different version just about very time) and on the cob, slathered with mayo and dredged in crumbled cheese served with a wedge of lime.

While corn should be cooked soon after picking or purchasing, cotija cheese is the exact opposite. I bought cotija for some recipe or another and found the leftover cheese lasted and lasted. Like other Mexican cheeses, it's inexpensive, and easy to use. Cotija is a crumbly cheese, less salty than feta, but a little goes a long way. The beans in this recipe make the salad feel hearty and substantial. I suppose you could make it with canned or frozen corn all year round, but it really feels like a Summer dish to me. 

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad makes the perfect side dish to go with barbecue chicken, steak, pork chops, you name it. It's a very flexible recipe, you can leave out the cilantro if you like, add more green onions or use red onions instead. Add more tomato or less. Add as much or as little hot sauce as you like. If you don't like spicy food, start with a teaspoon, taste, then add more. I hope you will make this recipe your own! 

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

3 ears of corn

1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tomato diced, include the juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 green onions, chopped

1 Tablespoon Habanero Pepper Tabasco Sauce

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1/2 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese (or feta)

Salt

Instructions

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Strip the corn from the cobs, into the skillet and

cook, stirring, until beginning to brown in spots, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in black beans, tomato and juice, cilantro, green onions, Habanero sauce and lime juice. Fold in the cotija cheese. Taste for seasonings and add salt if needed. 

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I created this recipe on behalf of Tabasco and I was compensated for it. The choice to post it here, was my own.

Vegetarian Green Chili recipe

Vegetarian green chili was the request for dinner the other night. Chili is very popular at my house. But I rarely make it the same way twice. It might be red or green made with white beans or black beans. I have made it with pork, beef, bison, turkey and chicken, but I like the challenge of creating a truly satisfying vegetarian chili. Somewhere a Texan is not very happy about that.

For this version of vegetarian green chili I knew I wanted to use Green Pepper Tabasco sauce which is made with jalapeños. Fresh jalapeños can vary greatly in heat, but the jalapeño version of Tabasco is always consistent. In addition I used many other green ingredients, some traditional like roasted chiles and tomatillos and one very non-traditional ingredient, spinach. I know that might sound strange, but it's really good. The slightly sour edge of spinach and tomatillos cuts through the starchy sweetness of the white beans. This recipe is a keeper and I know I will be making it again. By they way, when you buy tomatillos, choose the small or medium ones, not the large ones, which can be spongy and almost hollow.

I don't know about you, but I get very carried away when it comes to chili toppings. I usually set out little bowls with sour cream or plain yogurt, shredded cheese (queso fresco this time), chopped green or red onions, chopped cilantro and lime wedges. What do you like to put on top of your chili? Did I miss anything good? With the chili I serve cornbread, tortillas or tortilla chips.

Vegetarian Green Chili 

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound white beans
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken if you prefer)
8 ounces (2 small cans) chopped mild green chiles, drained (such as Hatch or Ortega)
1 cup water
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped
1 Tablespoon Green Pepper Tabasco

Instructions

Cook the white beans according to package instructions. Drain and mash about 1 cup of the beans. Set aside.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat, when hot, add the oil. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring often, until golden about 7 - 10 minutes. To the onions add the cumin, give it a stir then add the tomatillos, salt, sugar, broth, green chiles, and water; heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, covered.  Stir in beans the beans, cilantro, spinach and Tabasco sauce; simmer until greens are wilted.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I created this recipe on behalf of Tabasco and I was compensated for it. The choice to post it here, was my own.