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  3. Recipe Makeover: Egg Salad

Recipe Makeover: Egg Salad

April 15, 2015
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Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
Our avocado trick cuts fat in half, keeping all the creamy goodness of classic egg salad. By: Sidney Fry, MS, RD
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Leaner, Greener Egg Salad

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

Egg salad is a lunch-time favorite, a go-to because it's quick, easy to prepare, and rich in filling protein. It's a "salad" by name, yes, but a typical homemade version can load on more than 23g of fat and almost 900mg sodium—suddenly making your so-called light lunch feel anything but. We knew a rescue was in order.

Classic
377 calories per sandwich
23.4 grams total fat
894 mg sodium

Makeover
297 calories per sandwich
12.3 grams total fat
591 mg sodium

 

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How We Did It

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

To start, we looked to one of our favorite ingredients to replace most of the mayo: avocado. When mashed to a smooth puree, it keeps our salad nice and creamy, with a fruity richness. But wait—avocado is high in fat, right? One tablespoon of the green stuff contains only 2g fat—much better than mayo's 11g fat. Crunchy quick-pickled celery stands in for pickle relish to save sodium. To reduce sat fat just a bit more, we hold out a couple of the egg yolks and drop white sandwich bread in favor of a whole-grain variety with crunchy sunflower seeds to boost fiber; a handful of the nutty nuggets go into the salad, too, for textural appeal. Our lightened sandwich is a whole-grain, feel-good handful you'll be happy to tote to work.

Tip: To prevent avocado from browning in leftover egg salad, place any remaining salad in a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap. Then cover the entire bowl tightly with plastic wrap.

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Avo Puree

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

Mashed avocado replaces most of the mayonnaise, keeping the salad creamy and rich while lowering calories, fat, and sodium.

 

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Quick Pickles

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

A speedy soak in vinegar, water, and sugar pickles celery, saving 230mg sodium per tablespoon over pickle relish.

 

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Fewer Yolks

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

We hold out two egg yolks to keep fat and calories in check. Use them chopped on salads, grated on steamed asparagus, or sliced on toast.

 

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    1 of 5 Leaner, Greener Egg Salad
    2 of 5 How We Did It
    3 of 5 Avo Puree
    4 of 5 Quick Pickles
    5 of 5 Fewer Yolks

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