Egg whites are among the top best choices for the Zone Diet. They’re loaded with nutrition, and they don’t contain Arachidonic Acid, the very inflammatory Omega-6 fat found in egg yolk. But what if you don’t like eggs? Try these five delicious ideas for enjoying significant amounts of egg whites without realizing you’re eating eggs. Remember to balance all your meals and snacks to meet your personal Zone needs.
This easy-to-make baked custard is a favorite in my family. Make it in any size baking dish or custard cups. For the best result add 2 egg whites to every cup of milk. Whisk to combine your desired amounts of milk, egg white, vanilla flavoring, and agave syrup to a uniform consistency. I use about 1/4 teaspoon of agave syrup in each cup of milk for a refreshing hint of sweetness. Pour into the baking dish or cups and sprinkle ground nutmeg on top. Bake in a water bath in a 325° to 350° oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean (about 55 minutes for an 8 x 8 baking dish with 4 cups of milk). For the water bath, place the custard cups or baking dish into a slightly larger baking dish filled with about 1 inch of hot water. Enjoy this custard warm or cold. It’ll keep in the fridge for several days, but I guarantee it’ll be gone before that!
My favorite breakfast is this one-minute rice pudding. Mix my baked custard with some cinnamon and chilled cooked Zone orzo to the consistency of rice pudding. I like to have a spoonful of Zone extra virgin olive oil on the side to complete the meal. Tip: Keep cooked Zone orzo in the fridge for quick use anytime.
Make a cheesy pasta bake. Mix reduced-fat or fat-free ricotta with 1 or 2 egg whites and stir in some shredded reduced-fat (a.k.a. part-skim) mozzarella or grated Parmesan. Combine cooked Zone fusilli with a jar of marinara sauce, spread half of it in the bottom of a baking dish, drop dollops of the ricotta mixture on top, and cover with the remaining pasta and marinara. Bake in a 350° oven until it’s heated through.
Sauté a package of fresh-cut veggies with your favorite Asian spices or sauces, add cooked Zone orzo and stir in some egg white at the last minute.
How about this 5-Minute Migas and Omelette Mashup? It contains some visible egg white but there’s so much else going on in it that you won’t notice. Place the egg whites, shredded low-fat cheese, a few baked low-fat corn chips broken into large pieces, big chunks of fresh tomatoes, and cooked black beans into a heated skillet containing olive oil. Quickly season with salt and pepper. As the egg white begins to set, roughly turn the mixture over here and there with a spatula. Within less than a minute the egg white will be done, and the cheese melted. Serve immediately with a dash of hot sauce on top.
Finally, check out these blasts from the past plus one of my all-time favorite zonediet recipes. Tip: For the Guiltless Pancake, the toppings and variations are limitless. Use your imagination. Try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to the pancake mixture and replacing the strawberries with some sliced peaches or unsweetened applesauce. Delicious!