Deviled Eggs: Three Ways

One of my favorite Easter-time foods has always been deviled eggs - my grandma's recipe, of course. (It's normal to eat 10-15 in one sitting, right?)

However, with the help of Pinterest, other peoples' creative ideas, and binging on Chopped episodes, I have discovered a whole new world of deviled eggs. Apparently, deviled eggs can be whatever you want them to be. 

I was a little nervous to venture outside of my comfort zone, but these following recipes were a good different (much like Elsa). Enjoy these glamorized deviled egg recipes - though I can't promise they will be able to create beautiful ice castles and adorable snowmen (sorry, I can find a way to connect anything to Frozen).

Oh, and in case you're needing an easy way to get perfectly hard-boiled eggs, check this out.

Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs

(find original recipe here)

12 eggs, hard boiled

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 c Frank's hot sauce

1/2 c shredded chicken

1/4 c carrot, finely diced

1/4 c celery, finely diced

2 tbsp onion, diced

1/4 c bleu cheese, crumbled

Salt & pepper, to taste

Cut each egg in half, and set aside whites. Mix together yolks, mayonnaise, hot sauce, chicken, carrots, celery, and onions. Scoop a heaping spoonful of the filling into each egg half. Sprinkle each egg half with bleu cheese & drizzle with extra hot sauce.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

12 eggs, hard boiled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp mustard

1/4 c sharp cheddar

6 slices bacon, chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

Start by frying the bacon until it's crispy (save the bacon drippings). Cut each egg in half, and set aside the whites. Leaving a handful of the bacon out to sprinkle over the top, mix together egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cheese, bacon, and some of the bacon drippings. Mix in some of the bacon drippings to the filling.  Scoop a heaping spoonful of the filling into each egg half, and then sprinkle bacon over the top. 

Red Curry Deviled Eggs

(find original recipe here*)

12 eggs, hard boiled

1/2 c mayonnaise

1 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp red curry paste

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 c fresh parsley or chives, chopped

Paprika

Cut each egg in half and set aside whites. Mix together the rest of the ingredients until throughly combined and smooth. Scoop into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag, and pipe filling into each egg half. Sprinkle with paprika for extra color.

*This recipe was discovered during a Chopped-watching marathon. In Season 6, Episode 6, Lisa Garza spends all her time on a perfect deviled egg recipe. She literally gets no other basket ingredients on the plate, but the judges are so impressed by her deviled egg that she almost moves on. I thought, "That's a deviled egg recipe I'm gonna need to try."

Bomb-Diggity Bacon Salsa

The other day I was watching the Food Network (shocker), and saw that my old friend Trisha Yearwood now has a cooking show (coincidentally, she also does Zumba). I already had an appreciation for Trisha, but this knowledge brought it to a whole new level. Turns out she's a pretty bomb cook too, and makes her salsa with...

wait for it...

bacon.

I've been dying to try the recipe ever since. Needless to say, I finished off my bag of chips (I'm going to need to start looking for something else to put this salsa on).

Below is a slightly modified version of her "Salsa Ranchera" (see original recipe here). Salsa Ranchera just didn't quite capture the greatness of the recipe... so I also modified the title.

Bomb-Diggity Bacon Salsa

6 slices thick-sliced bacon, cut into strips

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 serrano pepper (see note below), de-stemmed, de-seeded, and finely diced

1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until it gets brown, but before it gets crispy. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for ten minutes. Serve warm or cold. Probably warm, since you're not going to want to wait (I prefer it warm anyway).

Note: I know everyone's spiciness preference is different, so you will want to adjust this recipe to your taste. I thought two peppers made it just a little too spicy (my lips were burning). If you don't like any heat at all, I would probably just replace the serrano pepper with a green bell pepper. If you're not as much of a pansy as I am, go for two. 

In Search of the Perfect Chipotle Dressing...

I love the taste of chipotle.

I don't know what it is, but it is amazing.

Every time I go to a restaurant and something has any kind of chipotle sauce on it, there's a good chance I'm ordering it.

However, I've never been able to find a delicious chipotle sauce/dressing/anything at the store. I've tried a few different recipes, but nothing has quite done it for me.

So I decided to concoct my own dressing. It was pretty simple, but the results were amazing. Here's what I came up with:


Chipotle Ranch Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise (I used Smart Balance... I guess that makes me feel healthier)*
1/2-1 cup milk
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Ranch dressing mix
Salt, to taste
Juice from one lime

*To make this even healthier, use Greek yogurt.

Put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and let the magic happen. You can adjust the quantity of peppers for spiciness, and the salt/ranch dressing mix for taste. You can add more or less milk to adjust creaminess. This is perfect with a delicious taco salad!


I made a yummy taco salad with cilantro, lime, shredded lettuce, black beans, red onions, and ground beef. It was life changing.


YUM.