COLUMN: Creating delicious and healthy egg meals
There is absolutely no reason college students shouldn’t eat well. I know the excuse is a lack of money, which is why Ramen features highly in most college students’ kitchens – I have a box of Ramen in my own. Yet I still believe there are other options for students that are affordable and healthier. My groceries are $70 or less a month – $35 every two weeks – and feed myself pretty well.
At the beginning of the school year there are always more costs to equip a kitchen, my necessities being: flour, butter, salt and pepper, sliced bread, milk, a dozen cage-free eggs, plain Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, Nutella and pasta.
I go through phases of obsessions with food, and right now, my obsession is eggs. I think eggs are the most useful and incredible ingredient a college student can have in the kitchen. Eggs can be incredibly cheap – 98 cents at Smith’s or Walmart – and are so full of good stuff. Each egg has 6.3 grams of protein, 18 percent of daily Vitamin B12 to help with nerve function, vitamins D, A, B6, E, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Potassium and Folate, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database.
But what you really need to take from this is that eggs are superfood, and they’ll make you superhuman. Maybe not. But they’ll do good things for you.
My favorite two egg recipes are a breakfast and snack option. The first is a toad in the hole, or as most people say, eggs in a basket. This is when you cook a fried egg inside a piece of bread. The second, deviled eggs, are a good snack and superbly easy to make.
Eggs in a basket can be made with hash browns and some type of breakfast meat on the side, or as a breakfast in itself.
The ingredients you will need are one to two slices of bread per person, one to two eggs per person, a medium sized cup, a frying pan and salt or pepper.
First, place your frying pan on the stove on medium or medium low. Spray the pan with cooking spray or drizzle a little olive oil on it and let it heat up. While the pan heats, place your bread on a flat surface and the press cup upside down in the middle of the slice. You’re going to use this to create a hole or a basket for the egg to cook in.
Place the piece of bread with the hole in it in the warmed pan, and crack an egg into the circle inside the bread. You’ll want to let it cook for about two to four minutes depending on how well done you want your yoke. I like mine a little runny, so it usually takes a couple minutes. While you’re waiting you can sprinkle some salt and pepper onto the egg to add a little more flavor.
You’ll know when it’s ready to flip because you’ll see the egg white stiffen and become white rather than translucent. Make sure you use a large spatula to flip the toast. Otherwise, it can get a little crazy.
Flip the toast quickly but in one motion so the egg stays together and doesn’t drip everywhere. Cook it for another couple minutes until you can push the toast and have it move around in the pan.
If you’re against runny yolks, break the yoke when you put the egg into the pan and it will cook with the rest of the egg. You can, if you want, only use the egg white.
Eggs in a basket are pretty easy – once you get the hang of the flipping – to make, and will easily impress your out-of-town friends and family.
Top your eggs in a basket with ketchup, ranch or nothing at all.
Deviled eggs are a little bit interesting. I love them, with the creamy center and flavor. They can be made very fancily or very simply depending on budget and who is coming over to eat them.
The ingredients you will need are two tablespoons of mayo or plain Greek yogurt, six to 12 egg
s, optional paprika or dill, one tablespoon of baking soda, one large pot, a small bowl and a fork.
First, you need to make boiled eggs. Get a large pot, large enough to cook all of your eggs at once, and fill it to about an inch below the top. Sprinkle in the baking soda, which will help with the peeling later, and place the eggs gently into the water. Put the pot on your stove top and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.
Promptly remove the pot from the stove and place it in the sink, but do not dump the water. You’ll want to let the eggs just sit in the pot for another five minutes.
Next, turn on the water. You’ll want lukewarm water at first, cycled out with cold water. What you want is for all the water in the pot to be replaced by the cold water. You can then reach in and bring out the eggs, drying them and placing them on a plate one by one. You’ll want to let them cool so the eggs will be easier to peel and look nice.
I would recruit a roommate or friend to help you peel eggs because it can get a little boring, especially if you’re peeling a lot of eggs. Once you’ve peeled all the eggs, place them on a plate. Next cut the eggs in half, from the skinny part of the egg to the fat bottom of the egg. Take out the cooked yolk and put all the yolks in the small bowl.
With the fork, mash up the yolks. Mix in the mayo or greek yogurt, salt and pepper, and use a spoon to put bits of it back in the holes of the eggs you cut in half. Sprinkle them with dill or paprika for a boost of flavor.
Voila – the perfect party snack. You can add chopped onions, garlic salt and a little dijon mustard if you have it on hand, but if not the eggs still taste great.
These are my two favorite egg recipes. Try them out. If you love them – or hate them – let me know.
– april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu