I've had a hankering for an egg salad sandwich for a little bit now and when Hub came home with a box of small croissants (marked on clearance) yesterday, I new I needed to give into my hankering. While there is nothing difficult about making egg salad, since it had been a while since I'd made it I went looking online for a recipe to make sure I didn't leave out some important ingredient.
I'm so glad I did! Somehow "healthy egg salad" popped up and I was inundated with recipes that replace the mayonnaise with plain yogurt. After skimming different recipes I decided to just wing it with whatever I had in the kitchen that I thought would be good. I don't have an exact recipe to offer you, but I'll pretty much tell you how I made it.
First some notes: Of course, I used Skyr (in place of the plain yogurt, which is in place of mayonnaise) but if I didn't have that, I'd have used plain Greek Yogurt in place of mayonnaise. I think regular ol' plain yogurt would be too runny for this.
I chopped up everything real fine (except for the egg white - that I chopped medium-size-like), and mixed the following things together so that it tasted more or less like my regular egg salad:
Chopped hard boiled eggs (I used 8, but only because I made the salad it too thin and I needed more egg to balance the liquid-y texture).
Finely chopped celery
Finely chopped onions (I used my Walking Onions)
Mustard (a lot of recipes suggest Dijon, but I didn't have any, and I'm not sure I'd like it, anyway)
Plain Greek yogurt (amount is up to you) go easy until you get the consistency you like.
Spices: Your choice
I put in Salt & Pepper to taste. And Mrs. Dash Original Salt-Free Seasoning. I know... I already put in salt, but I love this stuff. It always goes in egg or chicken salad here.
And because after all that it still needed something, I put in a dash or two of bottled lemon juice (bottled is all I had).
Because by this time I had made it too runny, I boiled two or three more eggs, and by the time I mixed those in, it was too dry, and at this point I added about a tablespoon of Hellman's Mayonnaise to see if it stepped up the taste a bit.
Now, I'm not going to pretend this didn't taste different. It did. And I thought for sure Hubs would look at me funny when he took a bite. But he didn't. He said it tasted good.
Honestly, I'm not sure that little bit of Hellman's made any difference, so I may skip it next time. I would prefer to try adding more/different spices until the flavor zings for me.
But really... except for putting my healthified egg salad on a croissant (a very small one, mind you), this is a pretty passable healthy substitute for egg salad made with mayonnaise.
I'm curious if others of you have ditched the mayo for Greek yogurt in your egg salad. Let me know in the comment section. And feel free to let me know what you put in your egg salad - healthy or not.
We're fans of Miracle Whip (the original) in this household so that goes in our egg salad. Don't suppose we'll ever change because we like it. Sometimes there's chopped up green onion...or regular white ones....or chives. Celery if we have it on hand. A little bit of mustard. Now I've read about you adding Mrs. Dash I was reminded of the Club House LaGrille Vegetable Seasoning that we add to pretty much everything we can think of, so why not egg salad. Hmmmm....wandering off to consult with Resident Chef......
ReplyDeleteCurious to know if Resident Chef approves. :)
DeleteI love a good egg salad sandwich. I make mine with Miracle Whip, a little cream or milk and salt and pepper to taste. Oh, and of course some chopped onion.
ReplyDeleteOooh... that wounds really creamy. You've made me wonder what McAlister's Deli puts in their potato salad. It's super creamy and mild tasting. Have never tasted anything like it.
DeleteI too use Miracle Whip (light) mustard, salt and pepper. I am not a fan of raw onions and hubby does not care for celery. In the past I have used celery salt or garlic powder or Mrs Dash Zesty. What ever spices capture my attention get tried at least once. I am thinking of putting in some hot sauce or green chili.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Dash Zesty - I need to try that, I think. Thanks, Marsha!
DeleteFun! I keep it simple: boiled eggs, a bit of mayo, a grainy mustard salt and pepper!
ReplyDeleteThese recipes make me think I may have just forgotten how mild and (frankly) not overly flavorful egg salad is. I imagine grainy mustard adds a tiny zing. Thanks for commenting, Elizabeth!
DeleteI am a Miracle Whip kind of girl. Chopped eggs, celery, salt and pepper, Miracle Whip and a little mustard is my simple egg salad. I have also added a little dill weed on occasion. Odd fact: When I was pregnant with my first, I craved egg salad sandwiches! I don't think I've ever heard of anyone else having that particular craving, but I did!
ReplyDeleteI use Miracle Whip in salad dishes that call for salad dressing. Curious, I tasted both Miracle Whip and my Hellman's today and I am reminded that there is a distinct difference in their flavor. I may have to try Miracle Whip the next time I make egg salad just to see if I'd like it (or, like I did in the above example, just add a small spoonful for flavoring). That is an interesting pregnancy crave, Cheryl. :)
DeleteNo. Heavens, no. Life is short.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I totally understand, Vee. My first reaction when seeing so many recipes with plain yogurt as a mayo substitute was "eewwwe". All I can say is using Skyr (which has a very mild flavor) I don't think the taste was really too different from using Hellman's mayo. Maybe that's why Hellman's is the only mayo I can bring myself to use - it has a very mild flavor. Normally, I'm not a mayo user. I'd never add mayo to a sandwich, for example. Chicken salad, egg salad, yes.
DeleteI have tried yogurt and salad dressings instead of mayo types. Blue cheese and ranch dressing are favorites. I also use tarter sauce.
ReplyDeleteThose are interesting flavors! I love blue cheese in a salad - though not sure I'd like it in an egg salad. You give me something to think about, though, May. Thank you for sharing!
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