Healthy Egg Salad with Avocado
Start your day with this protein-packed breakfast: Healthy Egg Salad with Avocado and no mayo. Enjoy it as a salad or served on a piece of whole wheat toast.
Avocado and Eggs
Why add eggs to your avocado toast? Protein! One large egg has 6 grams of protein and a lot of other great nutrients, including choline, Vitamin B12, and biotin. Avocado is an excellent source of fiber and healthy fats. Together, they’re a perfect combination!
Hard Boiled Eggs
The key to a healthy egg salad starts with the perfect hard-boiled egg. To me, that means a creamy yolk and a soft white that is not rubbery. Let me share with you my secret in achieving the perfect hard-boiled egg!
Boil the water first or not? I say yes! My favorite method comes from Bon Appetit. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and lower eggs into the pan with a slotted spoon. Keep the water at a gentle boil for 10 minutes if you want your healthy egg salad to have soft, jammy yolks. If you prefer firmer yolks, boil for 11 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking prepare a bowl of ice water. Carefully transfer the eggs to the water bowl and let sit for at least 2 minutes. To peel, start from the wider, bottom end, which has an air pocket. Gently crack and peel the egg. With this method I notice how easy the eggs are to peel! You can also try peeling under running water or in a bowl of water.
It is best to use eggs that are not fresh. This will make the shells easier to peel, which means less time till you are eating this healthy egg salad! You should be fine with conventional eggs from a supermarket, but if you buy your eggs at a farmers market, I would wait 1-2 weeks before using.
Hard-boiled eggs can be stored for up to a week, unpeeled in the refrigerator. They are an easy, affordable protein to have for a snack or as part of a healthy meal. I love enjoying them with udon noodles and stir fried vegetables or with savory oatmeal.
Avocados
America’s consumption of Haas avocados (account for 95% of avocados we eat) has grown every year, for the past 15 years. In 2018 we ate 2.4 billion pounds of avocados!1 Lucky for us, our neighbor Mexico is the world’s largest producer.
The United States is the world’s 10th largest producer and 90% comes from California. The rest are from Florida and Hawaii. One avocado tree produces 200 to 500 avocados per year. That would be a lot of healthy egg salad! 2
Avocados are harvested by hand from ladders or with specialized equipment. A good picker can pluck about 3,600 avocados per day! Avocados are unripe when picked, and they start to ripen post-harvest.
Avocado Nutrition
The use of avocado puts the health in this healthy egg salad! One half of an avocado has 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and 14 grams of fats. The fat in avocados is mostly unsaturated fats, which is part of a heart healthy diet.
Avocado are highlighted in the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet because of their heart healthy effects on blood lipid profiles. 3 Check out my book, The Mediterranean DASH Diet, to learn more about this wonderful approach to eating.
Mayonnaise Alternative
Removing mayonnaise from the classic egg salad truly turns it into a healthy egg salad. Hellman’s Mayonnaise (arguably America’s favorite brand) has 90 calories in 1 tablespoon and is much higher in saturated fat than avocados. Mayo is also completely devoid of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Fiber is such a key part of this healthy egg salad! The fiber found in avocados can lower our blood pressure, keep us full for longer and feed the good bacteria in our gut.Â
Optional Ingredients
I love my healthy egg salad to have a crunch to it––try adding red onion or celery. If the herbs alone do not give it enough flavor, add a teaspoon of mustard. If you want this dish to be even creamier, you can add Greek yogurt or sour cream!
Serving Ideas
This healthy egg salad can be enjoyed in so many ways! Serve it on your favorite whole wheat sandwich bread, bagel, tortilla or crusty sour dough. Make it into a salad with romaine or your favorite salad mix. You can also use a tender green like gem lettuce to make lettuce wraps.
Similar Pages
Looking for other avocado recipes? Try my Plum Fruit Avocado Salad, Avocado Toast with Smoked Trout, or Avocado Green Goddess Dip. If you are looking for more dishes to add hard-boiled eggs to, try my Savory Steel Cut Oats or Spinach Quinoa Salad.
References
- U.S. avocado consumption 2018 l Statista. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/591263/average-avocado-consumption-us-per-week/. Accessed February 3, 2020.
- Avocados | Food Source Information. https://fsi.colostate.edu/avocados/. Accessed February 3, 2020.
- Dreher ML, Davenport AJ. Hass Avocado Composition and Potential Health Effects. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):738-750. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.556759
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 4 hard boiled eggs chopped
- 1 cup of mixed herbs you like ex: dill, parsley, chives
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ÂĽ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: trader joe’s everything bagel spice
Instructions
- Mash avocado in a bowl. Add eggs, herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mash/mix together keeping a chunky consistency.
- Serve with toast or on a bed of greens. Optional: garnish with everything bagel spice.
Video
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Two Healthy Diets — One Delicious Cookbook
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