“BLT” Ranch Deviled Eggs

I’m a deviled egg kind of girl.  Really. But I’ve known plenty of people who are not.  I understand why they might be a turn-off to some people-if you don’t like eggs, well, then there you go.  But you can make really bad deviled eggs, too. Bland, slimy…just icky.  But good deviled eggs are wonderful.  I like to keep some in my fridge just to have as a snack-when I want something savory and a little bit salty.  Something to divert me from the straight line from the couch to the potato chips in the pantry.  A little bit filling, and an endless combination of flavors.

And I used to be a deviled egg purist, too.  I liked them “plain jane”: mustard, mayo, paprika and some seasonings.  But, I’ve been branching out a bit.  A lot of the restaurants in Milwaukee will include deviled eggs on their starter menus.  I like to think of it as “picnic fare gone classy.”

This version is vegetarian (obviously, if you want, you can substitute in the real thing for the bacon).  I used a combination of ranch dressing (make your own sometime if you have the time….way better than store-bought, as I’ve learned) and nonfat Greek yogurt as the base.  If you like the consistency of the yolks to be a bit firmer, decrease the amount of ranch dressing and adjust according to your own taste.  And, as always, you can play around with the flavor profile quite a bit here.  If you are going to use vegetarian bacon, I highly recommend getting some smoked paprika-it definitely adds that smoky, bacon-y taste.

And if you’re in the mood for a little bit something different for deviled eggs, check these out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy.

 

 

“BLT” Ranch Deviled Eggs

Servings: 12 deviled eggs

 

Ingredients

6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled **(I place the eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover for 10 minutes.  Then submerge the eggs in an ice-water bath for about 5 minutes or so.)

1/4 cup Ranch dressing

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or to taste)

For garnish:  bacon alternative (I used LightLife.), chopped spinach, chopped tomato

 

 

 

Instructions

1. Carefully slice each hard-boiled egg vertically, and gently scoop out the yolk.  Place the yolks in a medium bowl.

2. Gently mash the yolks with a fork.

3. Add in the ranch dressing and Greek yogurt, adjusting to your own desired consistency.

4. Stir in the smoked paprika and garlic salt.

5.  Using an electric hand mixer, beat the mixture on medium-high speed until smooth (and if you are piping-free of small pieces that would get stuck in your pastry tip.)

6. Gently spoon (or pipe) the yolk mixture into the halved eggs.  Garnish with bacon, tomato, and spinach.  Season to taste with salt.

 

Source:  A Curvy Carrot original.