Fiddle Version Egg Salad

Cover eggs with cold water. Turn heat to high.

As soon as the water starts to boil turn off the heat.

Set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 Minutes rinse

eggs in cold water and let them sit for 3 minutes until

cold enough to peel.

perfectly cooked egg yolks for egg salad

note that the egg of the yolk is not gray

photography Amy Albertson

I love Egg Salad. It has always been a comfort food favorite to me. I know there are 101 variations of it and things that people like to add, but to me it is the very best kept simple. And so many people ask me "what is in your egg salad, it is so good!" Pretty much there are only 3 ingredients: eggs, mayo and mustard. A little salt and cayenne pepper and you're done! And the cayenne is optional.

The difference between my traditional egg salad recipe and my fiddle is 113 calories for the normal version and 65 calories for the fiddle version.)

You can make an open-faced sandwich on Ezekial Sprouted Whole Grain Bread (only 80 calories) or another high fiber bread or corn rye. You can also serve it on celery sticks or cucumber rounds. I've also seen it served in nasturtium flowers as an hors d'oeuvres at an afternoon tea.  Sometimes I like to serve it on a bed or Arugula or Spinach.

I rarely use French's mustard since I'm such a giant fan of Plochman's. (Actually, I'm a mustard fan in general and use so many kinds. I would never use French's mustard in a vinaigrette or most of my cooking. The exceptions are the places when it is just the right ingredient: certain recipes of North Carolina Mustard Based Barbecue Sauce, with a Super Pretzel and Soft-Cheddar Cheese, in my Mom's potato Salad, in Deviled Eggs and in this Egg Salad recipe.

FIDDLE VERSION OF EGG SALAD

Makes 9 servings 1/3 of a cup each
I've also made a smaller version when I'm only cooking for myself with 4 whole eggs, and 4 egg whites, 1 tablespoon of reduced fat mayo and a teaspoon of mustard and a few grinds of pepper.  same calorie count and portion size.

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Egg Whites only

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons French's mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper to taste, optional

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Place 12 whole eggs in a saucepan and cover them with at least an inch of water. Place heat on high until water is boiling. As soon as water boils, turn the heat off and set a timer for 10 minutes. Let eggs sit in the water for 10 minutes. Then run under cold water until cool enough to peel (many people make the mistake of overcooking their eggs and then the outside of the yolks turns gray. This method with ensure you don't overcook the eggs and then they will have the best flavor!)

Peel eggs and discard 6 of the yolks. Place the eggs, low-fat mayonnaise, mustard and salt in a bowl. Mash with a potato masher until everything is well combined and eggs are cut-up into small pieces. Stir with a spoon if you need to combine it more.

Each 1/3 cup serving has 65 calories. It has 6.3 grams of protein per serving and 4.1 grams of fat.

If you'd like to see the traditional version of egg salad the link is here:

http://themailifiles.blogspot.com/2010/07/mad-hatter-tea-party-egg-salad.html