A Fork In Each Hand

I’m fortunate to work in a building that has a large “cafe” available to employees with a variety of lunch options such as a deli, two salad bars, a sushi bar, brick oven pizza and warm foods that change each day like fish tacos, chicken kabobs or grilled steak and potatoes.  Yet, for some reason, each time I go up there on days when I didn’t bring lunch, I end up walking around the whole place, eyeballing each item to find that nothing looks good and I ultimately end up getting the same thing every time:  egg salad on a spinach wrap.  I know this before I even ride the elevator up 15 floors to the cafe but I always hope each time that something else will strike my fancy.  And it never happens.  The wraps are huge and I’m full after just a half of one but I always end up eating the whole thing.  Oh, and instead of getting baby carrots and celery which are an optional free side, I typically succumb to the question “Do you want chips?”  The word yes comes out of my mouth before I even know what I’m saying and I rationalize it by figuring that I’m already eating so badly with the mayonnaise-laden egg salad that what’s the point of fooling myself with carrots.  I’m a hot mess.  So to keep myself away from the deli counter, I’m bringing in my own Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps for lunch this week.

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise in this recipe, keeping it lighter in calories without sacrificing too much flavor. Keeping a little light mayonnaise in keeps the Greek yogurt from making the egg salad too tangy.  I also added celery for crunch, roasted red pepper for an additional flavor boost and cayenne pepper for a little kick.  Putting the salad in lettuce really keeps the calories down and, depending on the kind of lettuce you use, provides and additional crunch factor, making this a satisfying lunchtime bite.  In additions, if you are watching your Weight Watchers points, one serving has 5 points so you can be on a diet and have egg salad too!  See ya’, deli counter…I won’t be back for a while!

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps (makes 6 servings)

• 12 eggs
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers in water, chopped or 1 red pepper, roasted (see note below)
• 1/2 cup celery or one stalk, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 6 lettuce leaves, preferably butter lettuce
• salt to taste

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.  Peel eggs and chop, placing them in a large bowl.  Add yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard; combine.  Add chopped celery and roasted red pepper; combine.  Stir in cayenne pepper and salt.  Rinse and dry lettuce leaves.  Serve 1 cup of salad in lettuce leaves.

Note: To make your own roasted red peppers, cut fresh red peppers in half, remove seeds and ribs, flatten, and broil, skin side up, for 10-15 minutes, until blackened, on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Place blackened peppers in a zip-top plastic bag, seal and let stand 15 minutes. Remove from bag, peel and discard skin; chop.

If you like this, also check out Enlightened Egg Salad Pitas.

The ingredients:

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Peel eggs and chop, placing them in a large bowl.  Add yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard; combine.  Add chopped celery and roasted red pepper; combine.  Stir in cayenne pepper and salt.

Rinse and dry lettuce leaves.  Serve 1 cup of salad in lettuce leaves.