Medical experts, including the Mayo Clinic, have pointed to the fact that eggs are high in cholesterol and concluded that they must cause high cholesterol in the blood stream. As best I can recall, this egg-hating started about the time the Egg McMuffin gained popularity in the 1970s.
Anything associated McDonalds, of course, immediately finds disdain among vocal anti-capitalists who somehow manage to disguise themselves as concerned citizens seeking the public well-being under different banners from Save the Stink Bug to Occupy Chick-fil-A. Perhaps if McDonalds had not entered the breakfast market, people would have left the egg alone rather than putting it in the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List next to revolutionary Bill Ayers.
While the Egg McMuffin did not blow up any government buildings like Ayers, it did, like its brother Big Mac, come in a Styrofoam container, which by the mid-seventies was considered tantamount to treason from an environmental point of view. Yes, it probably was good that McDonalds bowed to pressure to wrap them in paper instead of Styrofoam packaging that wasn't bio-degradable.
When I took Ecology classes in the 1970s, I don't think the teacher was a violent Weatherman like Ayers or a non-violent communist, since most Americans still had a modicum of economic awareness, but he definitely marched in lock step with the call to stop McDonalds using Styrofoam containers or confront a new Ice Age by the mid-1980s that would lead to crops throughout the world freezing and most people starving.
We all pulled together, started recycling everything we could and convinced McDonalds to serve their sandwiches in containers that required them to be consumed a little faster (the sandwiches, not the containers). Yes, it disappointed some guy working on a car who sent his buddy to grab him a sandwich when his Big Mac wasn't hot by the time his friend returned and put it in the mechanic's greasy hands to eat, but it was a small price to pay to save the world.
We did such a great job that the earth didn't freeze over in the 80's and 90's. In fact, we did such a great job that the world warmed up, extending growing seasons to feed the world and creating a whole world of investment opportunities in green industries for Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore.
Getting back on topic, the egg yolk contains most of the cholesterol, so even those who refused to give up their omelets often changed the order to Egg Beaters or egg whites only, but the yolk was on them.
It turns out egg yolks are high in lecithin, which naturally reduces not only cholesterol but also triglycerides in the blood stream. My buddy Bill Bundy told me about lecithin recently, when I told him my blood tests in October showed high levels of those natural enemies of lecithin. He recommended buying lecithin granules at the health food store and eating a tablespoon twice a day. I started that regimen, and within two months, my levels of the deadly duo were at acceptable ranges.
Okay, perhaps it is starting to dawn on you that eggs may not be that bad for you, and many dieticians now say the humble egg is the silver bullet for weight control, as egg breakfasts stave off hunger later in the morning that would otherwise lead to snacking. So what's a different way to enjoy eggs?
Confronted with some hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator (we had hard-boiled them to make left over eggs suitable for driving home from a vacation in Montana), I remembered my Mom making delicious egg salad sandwiches when I was a boy. I don't know exactly how she made them, but I know it involved sweet pickle juice and hard boiled eggs, so I improvised.
I don't buy sweet pickles generally, so I used sweet pickle relish, and it turned out great. I also remember her egg salad being very creamy, so I added some mayonnaise, too. It turned out delicious.
The recipe is easy.
Put two slices of bread in the toaster.
For two hard boiled eggs, add about one teaspoon of mayonnaise and one tablespoon of sweet pickle relish, plus some pepper if you like.
In a bowl, smash the eggs up with a fork and mix it all together into a somewhat creamy consistency. I find the egg whites don't get pulverized; they're in small chunks, but I suppose if you dedicate yourself to the effort long enough, you can make it smoother.
In any case, don't break out a food processor or any other mess-maker. This is, after all, Quick-Clean Cuisine. Make it too hard and messy to cook, and you're less likely to eat healthy, inexpensive food at home.
By the time the toast pops up, you should be ready to put the salad on the toast. I like to eat egg salad on open faced sandwiches, but if you want to pack it in your lunch, you can put a slice of bread on each side of the egg salad, or what we expert chefs like to call "a regular sandwich" as opposed to "Grandma Style."
Clean up is a breeze. Just wash the bowl, fork and plate. By the way, you can make up extra, maybe a half dozen eggs or more, to save some for later or share it with your best friends.
By the way, hard boiling eggs is very easy. Just put some eggs in a pan of water (the eggs should be covered by an inch or two of water) and bring the water to a boil. If you're like me, you aren't exactly sure when they start boiling thoroughly, but once you notice the water bubbling, boil them for a minute, cover the pan, remove from heat and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
You'll want to chill the eggs in the refrigerator before making the salad, so you need to boil the eggs before you get hungry, unless you are as lucky as I was and find the hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator.
