Who doesn’t love eggs – scrambled for breakfast, a fried egg sandwich for lunch and deviled eggs for hors d’oeuvres? It’s incredibly versatile and packed with protein. The American Egg Board and Egg Nutrition Center teamed with market researchers to compile egg trends for 2013 with some amazing concepts for the egg’s future this year. Here are the results:
Powerhouse eggs - Energize the start of your day with a protein-packed egg for breakfast.
Eggs on the go - Eggs are on more restaurant breakfast menus.
Fried eggs – Expect more restaurant chains to add fried egg creations to their breakfast menus.
Eggs on the road – As new food trucks focus on breakfast in a growing competitive lunch market, they will be offering more egg dishes on their menus.
Eggs go global – In an increasingly popular farm-to-table movement, chefs and home cooks will continue to create egg dishes combined with fresh vegetables, ethnic flavors and spices.
Egg functionality - Egg products offer 20-plus functions ranging from nutritional to sensory and shelf life.
Eggs illuminate labeling - Front-of-pack labeling gives manufacturers the opportunity to promote their message with the positive impact of listing egg ingredients to indicate nutritional values such as higher protein content.
The nutritional information of one large egg is: 72 calories; an egg yolk contains vitamins A, D, E, B-6 and12, zinc, calcium and iron. An egg white contains more sodium, magnesium and potassium; slightly more protein; less carbohydrates, and no cholesterol or fats (that are all in the yolk).
Are your eggs safe to eat after being in the refrigerator past the expiration date? According to Help with Cooking, here’s how to test for freshness. A very fresh egg will immediately sink to the bottom and lie flat on its side. This is because the air cell within the egg is very small. The egg should also feel quite heavy.
As the egg starts to lose its freshness and more air enters the egg, it will begin to float and stand upright. The smaller end will lie on the bottom of the bowl, while the broader end will point towards the surface. The egg will still be good enough to consume, however, if the egg fully floats in the water and does not touch the bottom of the bowl at all, it should be discarded, as it will most likely be bad.
American Egg Board Egg Recipe of the Month
Deli Quesadillas – 12 servings
Ingredients:
- 4- 12” sundried tomato flavored flour tortillas
- 1 cup whipped cream cheese
- 12 large eggs, beaten
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 2 Tbsp. capers
- 8 oz. smoked salmon slices
Directions:
- For each serving, spread ¼ cup cream cheese on each tortilla
- Cook and scramble eggs in non-stick pan over medium heat until eggs are firm throughout with no visible liquid egg remaining. Keep warm.
- Spray-coat (or brush with oil) a large (12-inch) pan and heat over medium heat. Add tortilla, cream cheese side up.
- Spread 1/4 of the scrambled eggs on the empty half of the tortilla.
- Sprinkle 1/4 of the sliced onions, tomatoes and capers over the eggs.
- Lay 2 oz. of the salmon lox over the cream cheese. Fold tortilla in half. Heat through. Remove from heat; cut in 3 triangles to serve. Repeat procedure for remaining tortillas. Serve immediately.
* Note: Do not let uncooked egg mixture remain at room temperature for longer than one hour (including preparation and service time).
Recipe courtesy of the American Egg Board (Here you will find loads of terrific egg recipes for any occasion.)
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