Curried Egg Salad

Though new to the food blog world, I've quickly become an avid blog reader and chosen a favorite: 101 Cookbooks. Heidi Swanson, the creator of 101 Cookbooks does stunning photography and writes posts that are both informative and eloquent. Heidi has a fresh, healthy approach to vegetarian food, and though I'm not a vegetarian, I would have no problem giving up meat to eat her food daily. She is based in San Francisco, which can be frustrating at times when you have to read about all the fresh produce she just picked up!

For some time, I was eyeing her curried egg salad recipe, with toasted pecans, apples, and curry powder. The recipe was easy enough to put together. In the time the eggs were boiling and the pecans were toasting, I was able to prepare the rest of the ingredients. I also like the use of yogurt instead of mayonnaise, as I rarely have mayonnaise on hand. As expected, Heidi did not disappoint; the egg salad was a "more flashy" take on the original, as she put it. The curry powder and yogurt mixture definitely added flashiness while the crunch of the pecans and burst of sweetness from the apples complemented the eggs nicely. I had it with a toasted wheat bagel but I imagine pumpernickel bread would be quite tasty as well.

Curried Egg Salad
From 101cookbooks.com

Ingredients:

5 good quality eggs
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder (your favorite)
3 tbsp. plain yogurt
2 big pinches of salt
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium apple, chopped
1/4 c. pecans, toasted and chopped
1 small bunch of chives, minced

Directions:

First off, you need to boil the eggs properly (the key to good egg salad!). Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking and place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking.

While the eggs are boiling and cooling, combine the yogurt, curry powder and salt in a tiny bowl. Set aside.

Crack and peel each egg, and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the curried yogurt, onions, apple, pecans, and chives. Now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more plain yogurt to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time. taste and add more salt if needed. Enjoy as-is, or served wrapped in lettuce or between two slices of good, toasted bread.