Egg Salad because the chickens are laying again.  Plus this month we have Easter and Passover and their eggy traditions.   If you don’t have chickens, take advantage of the (relatively) low egg prices this month.  Besides, eggs are a relatively low cost source of protein.

Traditional Egg Salad is Boring

So boring! Yes, fast and easy to make.  But boring. Hard boiled eggs, a whopping dollop of mayonnaise, some chopped celery, salt and pepper to taste – how hard can that be?    And also – how boring for the taste buds?! You don’t need to add salsa or jalepenos to make it exciting. I am not much of a spicy food fan myself. Instead I head out to the garden to grab some fresh herbs to add to my egg salad.

Savory Southwest Egg Salad

serves 2 to 4

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 /2 cup minced fresh green herbs – see list
1 /4 cup of fresh lemon or lime juice
salt to taste

Blend Some of These Herbs

You want a total of 1 /2 cup minced herb leaves to 6 hard-boiled eggs.
Because all these fresh herbs are green and juicy, you can skip the mayonnaise.   If you have a food processor, you can blend the herbs to a sort of pesto consistancy – and this blend will take the place of the mayo.

Science Nerd Note

You did know that mayo has lemon juice in it didn’t you?

Here’s our YouTube video on making mayonnaise.

Herbs & Eggs

These are herbs that I have found to blend well with the flavor of eggs. You may have others that you like better.  Most of these herbs are discussed in my book Father Kino’s Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today.  See below.

garlic chive leaves (Allium tuberosum)
Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida)
slender poreleaf (Porophyllum gracile) just a tad bit!

fennel leaves and stalks (leave the base to grow for later)
winter savory (Satureja montana)
culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) – just 1 leaf is enough for me
I’itoi or other bunching onion tops – as oniony as you want
recipe for I’itoi onion spreads.

pepper grass (Lepidium species) – but not too much – unless you have a mild species
(you don’t need imported black pepper – be green and get pepper right from your yard!)
forage peppergrass on our YouTube channel

edible flowers such as palo verde, nasturtium, violet, pansy.
More edible flowers to forage from your garden or yard.
optional – cilantro, parsley, sprig of mint (it’s better than it sounds)

No Fresh Herbs?

If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried will work, but you will need half as much because plants shrink when they dry.    Thus 1 /4 cup dried herbs.

You will also need to add something green, like kale, spinach, bok choi, arugula, or some early basil. It is also best to re-hydrate the dried herbs in the lemon juice first before blending with eggs.

Make The Egg Salad

Step 1. Go out in the yard to harvest your choice of fresh herbs, edible flowers, and maybe greens to wrap the salad in if you are avoiding carbs.

Step 2. Rinse your herbs (there are birds out there) and pat dry.

Step 3. Chop the herbs fine with a knife, or you can use a food processor. I don’t like to turn on the generator to make this so I just use a knife.

Step 4. Mash the eggs and blend them in.

Step 5. Add the lemon or lime juice until it is spreadable.

Step 6. Salt to taste – it generally does not need much with all the herbal flavors.    Remember that your muscles and nerves need some salt so they can function, but excessive salt is hard on kidneys.

Serve

Put between bread for a sandwich – or go paleo or gluten free with some lettuce or kale leaves for wraps.

Serve with olives for a meal that includes the three essentials for life – protein, carbs, and some of the oils your body needs to make cell membranes and things.

Herbs for the Southwest

The last few copies of this out-of-print award winning Southwestern book are now for sale. Father Kino’s Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today   The review says:  “Award-winning garden writer Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule has pulled together a fascinating book on the life of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino and some of the plants that he brought to Southern Arizona and northwestern Sonora, and area called the Pimeria Alta.”

A steal at only $20!  This link is to our sales site. The profits from the sale go to the local Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.  We hope you will help support this great Southwest non-profit.

We are pleased to announce that there is now an option to purchase this book and have it mailed to a international mailing address.

Legal Notes

© Article copyright Savor the Southwest // Jacqueline A. Soule. All rights reserved. You must ask permission to republish an entire blog post or article. Okay to use a short excerpt but you must give proper credit. You must include a link back to the original post on our site. No stealing photos.

Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.