One of our favorite places to visit is Santa Fe, New Mexico. There was a period of time when we even considered relocating there. The desert landscape is incredibly beautiful. The weather is milder than you might expect in summer and winter. The people are warm and generous. We are happy there because it melds many of the finer aspects of small town living with some of the cultural benefits you’d associated with “big city life” – fine dining, a vibrant art scene and a top-notch opera company. The following recipe is our little homage to Santa Fe and something we prepare when we are longing for “The City Different”.

It’s easy to get into a rut when preparing eggs. You can hard boil them, serve them over easy, scrambled or sunny side up. When living a low carb lifestyle, as we do, egg casseroles and quiches are not on the program because they tend to include flour – usually in the form of a crust. However, just a few small changes transform plain old eggs into a lusciously light egg bake that will remind you of the tastiest and most satisfying of quiches.

This egg bake works equally well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can serve it with bacon or sausage for the first meal of the day. For lunch or dinner it can be accompanied by a basic or elaborate salad. But best of all, you can incorporate any number of healthy herbs, spices, vegetables or other ingredients into this egg bake. Try replacing the green salsa verde in my recipe with red salsa (mild or spicy), which is is equally delicious. You are only limited by your imagination.

New Mexican Egg Bake Recipe

6 large, organic, omega-3 enriched eggs

2 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese

1 cup of organic sour cream

1 cup of green salsa (“verde”)

1/2 cup diced chives

black pepper and NutraSalt or salt – to taste

• Nutritional Content - Calories: 260. Protein: 10 grams. “Net Carbs”: 5 grams. Fiber: 1 gram. Fat: 22 grams. Based on a serving size of 1 slice with a total of 8 slices per recipe.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 °F. Spread the salsa in the bottom of an 9 ” glass pie pan. Distribute the shredded cheese on top of the salsa, along the bottom and sides of the pan. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and add the chopped chives, freshly ground pepper and salt as desired. Incorporate a cup of sour cream into the egg mixture. Pour the egg and sour cream combination over the salsa and cheese base. Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes. The time will vary based on individual oven considerations. Start checking for doneness after about 40 minutes. The top and edges will look slightly brown and the center will seem pretty set when you jiggle the pan. If the top browns before the center is completely set, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the egg bake. This will prevent the surface from burning and allow for the middle to continue to cook through.

There are plenty of good reasons to include well sourced eggs into your diet. I’ve covered that topic quite extensively in the past. So today I want to turn my attention to another element of this recipe – the salsa verde. Two of the primary ingredients of the salsa we used are cilantro leaves and tomatillos.

Cilantro and tomatillos have quite a bit in common when it comes to health promoting properties. Modern science has demonstrated that Coriandrum sativum or Cilantro and Physalis philadelphica or tomatillos are excellent sources of antioxidant carotenoids such as beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin. Preliminary evidence suggests that these antioxidants may protect against a variety of ills including chemically-induced liver damage and heavy metal poisoning. In addition, components of both foods have exhibited anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties in laboratory experiments. The hope is that these results will also manifest themselves in those who consume cilantro leaves and tomatillos on a regular basis. (1,2,3,4,5,6)

My New Mexican Egg Bake also works very well for those who like to entertain. You can bake it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. It reheats beautifully in the oven or microwave when you’re ready to serve it to your guests. Similarly, it handles quite well as a “leftover” meal or snack. The other aspect that I find particularly attractive about this dish is that it looks elegant, but doesn’t cost a bundle to make. Preparing healthy food shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone, including those on a tight budget. I think today’s recipe is a good example of how to practically apply this philosophy.

Be well!

JP

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