Eggology Egg White Recipe of the Day: Hearty Chicken Pie Pockets

Over the years, I've learned a thing or two in the kitchen. Usually this comes about by family members complaining, or "constructive criticism" as certain people like to put it, about something or another about the meal. Two rules I've learned to cook by:

1. Do not divulge the ingredients in any dish, unless specifically asked, and if one must answer, then forget to mention the spinach, beets and carrots that are pureed into it.


2. Do not serve leftovers; disguise them as a whole new meal.
   

These two rules go hand-in-hand. If you practice not divulging all the ingredients in a meal, and become good at creating a new meal with leftovers, then you've got a happy family and a clean fridge! Who could ask for anything more? (Well, I could, but that's a whole different post ...)

So the today's recipe of the day is a perfect example of how to use your leftovers in a constructive way. Who wants to eat day-old white meat chicken? Re-heating it will leave it rubbery. But this recipe puts it in a whole new light - and it's simple, straightforward and tasty!

Hearty Chicken Pie Pockets
Servings: 4

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 pound leftover white-meat chicken, cut into cubes
1 cup frozen carrot slices
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen chopped onions
12 ounce jar of chicken gravy
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 package refrigerated pie crust
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Eggology egg whites, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, vegetables, and gravy. Bring to a boil and season with the fresh cracked pepper.

In the meantime, place the two rounds of pie dough on a floured surface and allow them to come to room temperature. Then sprinkle each round with a half cup of the shredded cheese and press it into the dough.

Flip the dough over and place half of the chicken mixture on each round. You will only want to place the filling on one half of the dough, making sure to leave room to crimp the edges.

Fold the dough over and crimp the edges with a fork. Carefully place the pockets on a nonstick cookie sheet and brush with the Eggology egg whites.

Cut slits into the top of each pocket and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Eggology features a whole section of healthy recipes.

Eggology in the News: Women's Health "Best Packaged Foods"

In the Women's Health magazine September 2008 issue, Eggology was featured as one of the 125 Best Packaged Foods! This is their second annual list of "great-for-you products" to help you take "the guesswork out of grocery shopping".

I couldn't agree with Women's Health more! Having Eggology egg whites on hand makes cooking easier. They are fresh and will taste great in any recipe or as a meal by themselves. And, if you find yourself using egg whites mostly for scrambles or omelets, an even better option are the Eggology On-The-Go microwavable cups. They are measured out for one serving and make the healthiest meal (or snack)!

Is There Such a Thing as Eggcellent Diet Foods?

I'm not really into dieting, I actually dread the thought! BUT, I do like to eat healthy foods and keep myself in shape, especially as I am getting (just a little bit) older. It seems there is constantly a new product on the market that likes to claim it is THE best diet food, or low carb, low fat, low sugar alternative. I can't keep up with all of the new stuff. A friend and I were discussing this very issue when he pointed me to a great site that does all the work for you. Iateapie.net reviews foods that are advertised as "diet" friendly. They provide a non-biased look at products with taste tests and ratings as well as provide a forum for discussions on the latest craze!

One of the other things that gets confusing is reading all the labels -"how healthy is it?" is a question I am always asking my self, with skepticism. Tanya Taylor, the brains behind the site, has a PhD in Food Science and Nutrition and currently works as a Food Chemist for a food ingredients company. Who better to help me read the labels than a PhD in Food!

With a busy life and too many new products to count, it's a great way to learn something and save time! You can go through their archive by ratings, so you can see the products that got the highest ratings and skip the ones that didn't. They even provide a list of coupons for some of their favorite foods.

It's definitely worth checking out this site before you go to the grocery store!

Ask The Eggspert: What Holiday Recipes Do You Recommend that are Freezable?

Question: Now that the kids are almost back in school, the holidays will soon be rapidly approaching! My plan this year is to have less stressful holidays and part of that means preparing some of the food beforehand so I can enjoy my family and friends during those special days, instead of being in the kitchen. Of Eggology's holiday recipes, which do you recommend as being freezable?

Answer: Thanks for bringing this question up. When it comes to holidays, we know that it can be more hectic and stressful than relaxing for many people. So doing things like making holiday desserts in advance and freezing them until the day, is a great idea. We asked our local culinary expert about which of our Holiday Recipes she would recommend as being freezer-friendly. Here is the list she chose and her notes are alongside:

Plethora of Passover Blintzes
Passover Matzoh Muffins
Eggnog Bread Pudding & Apricot Whiskey Sauce (do not freeze the sauce)
Crispy Cheese Blintzes
Vermont Pumpkin-Cranberry Loaf
Soothing Apple Cider-Carmel Cake (do not put the sauce on prior to freezing-you can reheat the cake slightly then add the sauce)
Banana-Fofana Oatmeal Bread
Fog City Cappuccino Cheesecake with Fudge Sauce (don't freeze the Fudge Sauce)
Easy-As-Sunday-Morning Lemon Squares
Forest Honeyed Apple Torte
Winter Spice Pumpkin Bread
Tea Time Spice Pound Cake

Here are some additional tips to freezing your baked goods:

• Let all baked goods cool completely before preparing to freeze.


• For cookies, wrap each individually in plastic wrap then place in freezer storage bag.


• For brownies and other types of bars, do not cut into individual servings. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil.


• For cakes, muffins and breads, use freezer storage bags.


• Do not frost or cover with sauce any of the baked goods. That can be done when they are thawed and you are ready to serve them.


• Most of these items can be frozen for as long as three months except cookies - those can be frozen for about one month.


• To thaw, place on serving platter and let sit out at room temperature for about one to two hours.

See all of Eggology's Holiday Recipes here! See other Eggology baked goods recipes in the Dessert Recipe section!

Eggology Egg White Recipe of the Day: Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

I love making muffins and cupcakes! Being their own little cake, contained in a wrapper, keeps them fresher and more moist than a cake that you slice up. Once a cake is sliced, the part exposed just becomes dry, and soon the whole cake is dry. No fun! The one issue I have with muffins and cupcakes, is that most recipes make one dozen or even two. That is too many for our small family - inevitably some of them end up going bad. And I know you can freeze them, but I just have to tell you - the freshness is never the same.

Sorry, my thought train has temporarily de-railed . . . Back to muffins. So I found a recipe that makes 7 mini-muffins or 3-4 regular size muffins. Excellent! I can whip up 4 muffins for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. No leftovers, no waste! Just some great homemade muffins that are good and good for you! Since they are protein-based, they are also great as a snack before you exercise.

Oatmeal Raisin Protein Muffins

WHAT YOU NEED:
1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup Eggology fresh egg whites

1/4 cup raisins

1/8 cup brown sugar (or substitute 1 tablespoon Splenda brown sugar)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

shake of cinnamon and nutmeg

Optional (but recommended): add walnuts for an extra dose of protein and heart-healthy omega-3s

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Coat muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups (make sure to include all liquids).

Cook for 12-15 minutes.

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Eggology is eggspanding our Recipes section. Do you use Eggology egg whites in any of your recipes? Send your favorite recipe to us - we'd love to try them out and feature them as our weekly recipe!

Eggology in the News: Good Housekeeping Grab 'N Go Breakfast

The Good Housekeeping Institute knows that everyone is in a hurry these days - but that doesn't mean you need to skip breakfast!

They've created 5-minute meals that you can make at home or in the office. All of them are very nutritious and delicious ways to start the day. And all for under 400 calories.

Samantha Cassetty, Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute recommends:

"At work it's a good idea to keep a cup of Eggology egg whites On-the-Go in the fridge and you can just pop it in the microwave and in 95 seconds you'll have scrambled egg whites."

You heard her! Now there's no excuse to skip the most important meal of the day.

Check out more great breakfast-in-a-hurry tips from Good Housekeeping!

Eggology in the Jewish Press: Kosher Tidbits

Eggology was recently featured in The Jewish Press, an independent weekly that features an eclectic mix of Jewish news, political and religious commentary, as well as special features.

In addition to being USDA organic and certified humane, Eggology is completely Kosher certified, supervised, and inspected. In fact, our facilities are egg-spressly kosher - with all aspects of our products and operations overseen by Rabbi Teichman.

Thats why The Jewish Press says:

"Eggology, makers of scrambles in the microwave and Cool Cravings announces a new line of all-natural certified organic and cage-fee hardboiled eggs. Need I say more?"

Maybe I'd just add that our hard-boiled eggs are also low in calories, completely free of preservatives, GMOs and trans fats --- AND egg-stremely delicious!

Eggology Egg White Recipe of the Day: Fruit & Oatmeal Bar Snacks

Wikipedia defines "snack food" as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day – breakfast, lunch, or dinner – but one rather that is intended to assuage a person's hunger between these meals, providing a brief supply of energy for the body. The term may also refer to a food item consumed between meals purely for the enjoyment of its taste.

Admittedly, I like to consume food for the "enjoyment of its taste", but I also like to know that it's something healthy and nutritious for my body. As the old adage goes, You Are What You Eat. So when it comes to snacks, I strive to make mine at home, using fresh ingredients of my choice, as opposed to buying any of the pre-made, pre-packaged, full of food dye and MSG snacks that are so prevelant on the market today.

Today's featured recipe is a snack for your whole family to enjoy - made with the idea of toddlers in mind, but great for anyone, ages 2 to 102! Treat your toddlers (and yourself) to something good, and good for them!

Funny Fruit and Oatmeal Bars

WHAT YOU NEED:
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces (1 container) vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup Eggology egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup diced dried mixed fruit, such as raisins or dried blueberries or dried cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, combine sugars, yogurt, Eggology egg whites, oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add to yogurt mixture; mix well.

Stir in oats and fruit (and nuts and chips if you choose to use them).

Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan.

Bake 28-32 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cut into bars. Store tightly covered.

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Eggology's recipes are eggspanding! Find a variety of recipes using Eggology egg whites here.

Eggology Egg White Recipe of the Day: Bitter Melon with Egg Whites & Black Beans

Got an extra bitter melon lying around the kitchen? Nope, me neither. Do you even know what they look like? Well, I've included a picture of them for your convenience, because after you read this very informative post, I know all of you will be running out to the store to pick up your bitter melon for dinner tonight.

Eggology is adding more recipes to an already robust recipe database! So I thought this would be a great opportunity to showcase some of the latest creative recipes that always feature Eggology egg whites. Browsing through them, I found a recipe called "Bitter Melon with Eggology Egg Whites & Black Beans". Hmmm, I thought. Aren't bitter melons traditionally used in Asian food? And aren't Black Beans traditionally used in Spanish food? And aren't egg whites traditionally not used with either of those two ingredients?! Well, I read on and discovered that we aren't using black beans, but fermented soybeans (also known as black beans) which is used in Asian cooking. Still, I asked myself, who would voluntarily eat a food that is called "bitter". If a food has to be named bitter, than it must be, well, really bitter!

So I did some research - thank you to wikipedia! And found out the medicinal values of bitter melon seem to certainly outweigh whatever bitterness they may have! For example, this food stimulates digestion, has an anti-malarial activity (though not proven in labs, the Asian people have used it in prevention and treatment of malaria), shows promise in improving cell function in people with cancer and could help people with HIV, and to top it off, has four bio active proteins that may help or prevent type II diabetes.

Now are you getting ready to run out to your local health food store and pick up a few bitter melons for dinner? Before you go, don't forget to print out this recipe! This is a sweet recipe for something so bitter! Enjoy!

The Best Bitter Melon w/ Egg Whites & Black Beans

Servings: One main course or a side dish for two.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 large bitter melon
2 teaspoons black beans (fermented soy beans)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup Eggology egg whites
1 teaspoon soy sauce, low sodium
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Dash of pepper
Dash of chili sauce (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop off both ends of the bitter melon and slit it lengthwise. With a spoon gently remove the seeds and the pit from the vegetable and discard. Cut into pieces about a quarter inch thick. To remove some of the bitterness, add the pieces to boiling water and blanch them for 2 minutes then quickly put them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This step is optional but if you never tried bitter melon before you may want to do this.

Add the black beans, garlic and ginger to a bowl. With the bottom of a fork mash them together until it forms a paste.

In a separate bowl, whisk in the soy sauce and chili sauce (if using) into the egg whites.

Heat the oil in a skillet (use a nonstick skillet if preferred). Heat the oil to very hot. Add the black bean mixture and stir around for 30 seconds or so. Add the bitter melon to the skillet (after it was removed from the ice water and dried off) and mix well with the black beans mixture.

Grind some fresh pepper and set the heat to low and cover for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes is up remove the bitter melon from the skillet.

Add more oil to the skillet (if necessary) and scramble the Eggology egg whites. After the eggs whites are done add the bitter melon back to the skillet and mix it well with eggs whites. Remove and serve.

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Eggology is adding to their recipes list and would love to add your favorite recipe that incorporates Eggology egg whites! Submit recipes here.