Simple Pleasures, no. 3

SRIRANCHA* EGG SALAD

• 2 slices of homemade bread, toasted
• 2 hardboiled eggs
• A couple tablespoons ranch dressing
• A few squirts Sriracha sauce
• Black pepper, to taste

* Thanks to @lyndseyf412 on Instagram for giving this awesome sauce a name!

// Just mash together the eggs, dressing, and sauce until they form familiar egg salad consistency. Spread atop your toast. Sprinkle your black pepper. Enjoy!

Here are 5 more ways to eat protein perfect hardboiled eggs.

(Simple pleasures no. 1: Cheesy Toasted Bagel, no. 2: Roasted Apple For One)

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Hardboiled Eggs // Portable Protein

I have this wild love affair with eggs, especially hardboiled eggs.

I can't get enough + here's why.

Every week I boiled a dozen using the Martha Stewart Cooking School method: Place 12 eggs in a large stock pot. Cover with 1 inch of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Take off heat, cover with a lid, and set a timer for 13 minutes. Then drain and put in an ice bath (or just cold water).

It's so easy.


I put them -- shells still in tact -- in an airtight container in the fridge. Peel them when I want to nutritious snack. I often eat them plain or chopped on salads, like in this Mommy + Me Meal I posted last week. Absolutely delicious. Over the years, I've come up with a lot of other tasty uses for this awesomely portable protein.

#1: Avocado Egg Salad

This Avocado Egg Salad recipe is by far one of my favorite lunch options. It has an amazing mix of good fats, protein, and deliciousness that sustain me through the afternoons. If you're vegan and skipping over most of this post, I can offer you my egg-free version of this recipe: Tofu Avocado Salad -- incredible in its own way.

#2: Mayo-Less Egg Salad

I wrote this Mayo-Less Egg Salad recipe by request many years back. Some of you, understandably, hate mayonnaise! I always did, too. In fact, I often use Vegenaise when I make standard egg salad. But tahini + mustard is another interesting substitute worth trying.

#3: Guacamole Deviled Eggs

I made these Guacamole Deviled Eggs for a 4th of July party this year, and I've been hooked on them ever since. Very much like the egg salad spread above, just in a different package. I like to season ours with smoked paprika for extra flavor.

#4: Sandwich Topper

You can also skip all the sauces and seasonings and slice your hardboiled eggs directly into sandwiches. Here's a pretty comprehensive list of the sandwich recipes we've posted over the years. I'd say eggs would work well with veggie-based creations, like this Open-Faced Portabella Sandwich or even Caprese Sandwich.

#5: Soup Dipper

I've never tried this personally, but I've seen hardboiled eggs tossed into soups. It's sort of like a garnish, if you will. Skeptical? I don't blame you. But check out this cold Tomato-Almond Soup with hardboiled eggs. It looks good to me!


Pssst: Today was Ada's FIRST DAY of Preschool! Read about how it went, see some cute photos (if I do say so myself!), and find out why I freaked out a bit right before dropping her off.

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Family and Food

I've mentioned it a few times on Twitter recently -- but I am totally obsessed with genealogy at the moment. And to be entirely truthful, I have been my entire life.

I've been catching back-episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? and it set me over the edge.

My dad's family (above) has done extensive research into where we're from, who's who, etc. My mom's side is a bit of a mystery . . . so that's what I'm concentrating on currently. Gathering known names and dates from my grandparents and searching like crazy.

Stephen would tell you that I've parked myself on the couch each night for a week -- computer in lap -- yelling out phrases like "Obituaries are where it's AT!" and "Hell YES findagrave [dot] com!"

Last night I discovered that some of my ancestors came over to Philadelphia, PA, in 1740 from Germany (Switzerland today) on a ship called the Friendship. I don't know. There's something so incredibly interesting to me about the whole process.


One thing I certainly did not inherit from my family is my taste in food.


I was telling my mom about this avocado egg salad recipe and she, somehow without words, said YUCK! But that's totally not the case. It may be one of my new favorite recipes.

First we need to talk about making the best hard-boiled eggs. This is important because growing up (and, sorry again, mom), I always thought hard-boiled eggs were supposed to be slightly grey on the inside. But actually this means they are over-cooked.

This is more like it:


And I must default to Martha Stewart for the method. I follow it e.x.a.c.t.l.y and get perfect results every single time.


To make the avocado egg salad, you need the following . . .

• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 large avocado, cubed as you see above
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or Vegenaise (we used it b/c we don't love mayo)
• 1 teaspoon curry or fenugreek powder
• Pinch of salt and pepper

I didn't get a great photo, and this filter doesn't help much either. But all you do is combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mash together with a fork. Adjust the salt/pepper/mayo to your tastes. Then slap between two slices of bread or in a wrap and enjoy.

Yet another fantastic sandwich we had this weekend. And if you didn't catch yesterday's post, we had quite a masterpiece on Saturday night as well!


Speaking of food and family, today on Writing Chapter Three we're talking about Ada's current solids situation. We started out with Baby-Led Weaning. What we're doing now has involved a change of plans.

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Finally! Mayo-Less Egg Salad

I hate, hate, hate mayonnaise. I love, love, love egg salad. There's an easy solution, though, that works extremely well and tastes great. Just use TAHINI! I know it sounds incredibly weird. But I'm starting to use tahini in everything. You may have noticed it in the veggie stromboli recipe we just posted. So, if you're game, you definitely should try this recipe, too. I promise you won't gag. You won't think it tastes bad. Not even for a second.

In fact, you'll probably fall in love and want to discover even more uses for tahini. It's not just for hummus anymore!


First we need to cover how to hard boil an egg (or 5). There are many methods, but this is the one that's worked best for me . . .

1. Put your eggs into a stock pot. Cover with an inch of cold water.
2. Bring water to a boil, then immediately remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 13 minutes.
3. Then transfer to a bowl of very cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
4. My dad has a trick: Stream a little cold water in the whole time (it's somewhat wasteful, but keeps the temp cold).
5. Then put in a container (or baggie) and refrigerate. You can also eat warm, if you like.

By following this method, you'll likely have some awesome hard boiled eggs to enjoy alone or in this egg salad recipe.

THE MAYO-LESS EGG SALAD

What you'll need . . .

• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, of course
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 to 2 teaspoons brown mustard
• Half a tomato, chopped
• Handful of spinach, chopped
• A bowl and a fork
• A bagel or English muffin

Method . . .

1. Put the eggs and all other ingredients in a bowl.
2. Use the fork to mash everything together.
3. Toast a bagel or English muffin and serve the sandwich open-faced.
4. Marvel at your creativity and enjoy!

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