How to Take Your “breakfast for Dinner” to the Next Level
Growing up in New Jersey, I was always surprised when my friends laughed at my description of dinner dishes that consisted of eggs. Apparently, “eggs were for breakfast.” But for me, they were one of the best dinner options and no one could scoff at me for not eating my favorite foods. Even as an adult in New York where a wide variety of foods can be found, I found that eggs are still limited to the brunch menu and occasionally found in burgers (I think this is a start). By restricting eggs in this way, we are missing out on several protein-rich opportunities. Eggs are a legal evening protein – just as legal as ground chicken or ground beef.
I would never say that a humble egg shouldn’t shine in the morning hours – I’m the first person to choose eggs and toast over pancakes and fruit – but this understated bowl contains a significant amount of protein and a lot more. versatile than meat. Eggs don’t outperform meat in terms of protein when it comes to grams per serving (roughly 12 grams vs. 18 grams , respectively), but they take home the gold in terms of full, all-round nutritional impact on your body. and it’s a wonderful thing to have in any meal. They also complement a wide range of flavors, from sweet to savory, depending on the preparation.
The eggs have comic book-level superhero powers. They have powerful binding and thickening abilities, they can be foamed up to two or three times their original size, manipulated to make thin tortilla-like wrappers , dried to a crispy cracker-like consistency, and they can be pickled or dried . Eggs are werewolves. Use them to your advantage.
Inspirational Egg Dishes
Compared to other regions of the world, America seems to be lagging behind in the use of non-breakfast eggs (“breakfast for dinner” themed nights is not quite what I mean, but I approve of the effort). Let’s take cues from some of our favorite dishes from around the world to inspire our next dishes. As I mentioned earlier, some of my baby comfort foods contain eggs. If you’re looking to try different food options to end your day, Thai cuisine includes the egg in its various forms. Kai pa lo is a very spicy stew made with three main ingredients: pork, whole boiled eggs, and puffed tofu. In kai yad sai , eggs are used as wrappers for other savory ingredients; in kai jiao , crisp meets airy in half-fried scrambled eggs. The intense heat of the screaming oil whips the egg into a rocky cloud that’s perfect for dripping fish sauce.
Eggs are also in soups. Japanese ramen is synonymous with cozy comfort, and it has a soft- boiled egg on top, like a gem. Chinese Egg Drop Soup lights up our hero with hundreds of thin egg slices swirling all over the place. Greek avgolemono uses eggs as a thickener for this lemony chicken soup. If you’re looking for a dinner that will easily feed a crowd, there’s the tortilla de patatas, or Spanish tortilla , which combines eggs with potatoes and onions in a fluffy yet satisfying design that I dream about from time to time.
These are all great options for lunch or dinner, and maybe even breakfast. There are many more inspiring dishes you can end your day with (check out this list of 25 egg dishes from around the world), and you can experiment with your own egg recipes. Try adding a couple of eggs to your next batch of soup, or make thin, pancake-like wrappers to lull crunchy salad pieces. The next time you open the fridge, thinking about what to eat for dinner, don’t discount the superheroes in the box right in front of you.