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!
