Eggs and a Healthful Lifestyle

Eggs are cheap, tasty, and a great source of quality protein. But what about fat and chloresterol? Now, before the "Great Egg Scare" of the '80s, I had grown up on basted eggs. (For those of you not in the know - to make basted eggs you start by frying several pieces of bacon in a little fat. Remove the bacon and crack a couple of eggs in the hot fat. Use a spoon to cover the top of the eggs with the fat. Cook until the eggs are as firm as you like. Serve with bacon. Yum. But yowch! Not light.) Basted eggs are now an occasional treat. But there are plenty of ways to bring eggs to the table even on a moderate or low fat diet.

It's No Yolk - Making it Light

Almost all of the good protein is in the egg white and all the fat and chloresterol is in the yolk. Many of your favorite dishes may be made lighter simply by removing some or all the yolks. There are devices available, but if you don't feel like shelling out the cash try one or two techniques. One, you can gently crack the eggshell and pour the egg back and forth, letting the white drip into a bowl. The second, (slightly messy) way is to crack the eggshell and pour the egg into your hand. Cup the yolk in your fingers and let the eggwhites sift in between your fingers into a bowl. Now toss the yolk or feed it to the cat. The whites are ready for use.

Lighter Breakfasts

When mixing up a bunch of scrambled eggs for your family, take out at least a couple of the yolks. Add a little skim milk for flavor. If it looks too pale for your family, cheat and add some yellow food coloring. (Most low-fat egg replacers are just egg whites and food coloring)

It's easy to make pancakes, waffles, and baked good lighter. Just substitute 2 egg whites for every whole egg in your recipe. Add a little more seasoning and spice to bring back some flavor.

Lunches and Suppers

Eggs aren't just for breakfast. They can make wonderful, nutritious lunches and suppers. One of our favorite summer dishes is a vegetable frittata.

Ingrediants:
2 cups chopped vegetables (onions, tomatoes, zucchini, whatever looks good.)
8 egg whites
4 whole eggs
.5 cups shredded swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste
a little good oil

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