Light, nutritious egg recipes

Looking for a low-cost healthy menu option? Think eggs. They are low in calories, bursting with vitamins and minerals and quick and simple to prepare.

Awardwinning chef Sophie Wright says: 'If you want a nutritious meal you can’t go wrong with eggs. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, easy to combine with healthy ingredients, and contain high quality protein which will help you keep fuller for longer. My recipes are perfect for people who want to watch what they eat without compromising on taste.'

Coming up, find out how to cook:

• Seared tuna steak with three-bean salad and a soft boiled egg
• Moroccan spiced eggs and tomatoes with a minted yoghurt
• Curried scrambled eggs with spinach and smoked haddock

Find out more about the health benefits of eggs

PLUS, reasons to eat protein

Seared tuna steak with three-bean salad and a soft boiled egg

Chef Sophie Wright says: 'This is a self-saucing salad and a real staple in my home. I can’t help but smile every time I see that creamy, rich egg yolk ooze over the salad, combining with the dressing and the beans to finish off the dish perfectly. It’s the perfect midweek supper that we can all feel good about eating. It’s also great without the tuna if you can’t get to your fishmongers after a long day in the office.'

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 British Lion eggs
2 tuna steaks (around 125g each)
1 tsp olive oil
410g mixed beans in water, drained or vacuum packed pre-cooked mixed beans
75g trimmed green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
50g fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 large red chilli, finely chopped (seeds in if you like a kick!)
35g fresh basil leaves
1/2 lemon
Crusty bread to serve (optional)

Dressing:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 and 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 and 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the eggs carefully and cook for exactly 4 minutes 30 seconds for a very runny egg. Add the green beans to the water for the last minute of cooking. Remove the pan from the stove and cool down with cold running water from the tap.
2. Now prepare the other salad ingredients: mix the beans, onion, tomatoes, pepper, chilli and the cooked and cooled green beans.
3. Make the dressing by combining the mustard with the lemon juice before slowly adding the olive oil to thicken the dressing. Pour half of the dressing over the bean salad and save half for later. Season the salad with salt and pepper.
4. Place a non-stick frying pan or griddle pan on a high heat. Rub the tuna steaks with a little olive oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Place them in the pan when it is smoking hot. For rare steaks, cook them each for around 2 minutes per side. If you prefer your tuna well done, cook each side for 4-5 mins. Just before the tuna is cooked, squeeze over a generous amount of lemon juice and remove from the heat.
5. Carefully peel the eggs. Tear the basil leaves into the salad at the last moment and mix well.
6. Scoop the salad onto each plate and top with the tuna steak. Sit the egg tall and proud on top of the tuna. Cut open just before you serve so the yolk oozes out. Finish with the remaining dressing and serve with crusty bread if liked to soak up that lovely runny yolk.

Moroccan spiced eggs and tomatoes with a minted yoghurt

Chef Sophie Wright say: 'I love this dish... it ticks all the boxes! Healthy, quick to prepare and cook, minimal shopping, reasonably priced ingredients and extremely satisfying to eat.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner...this dish is a winner.'

Ingredients:

4 British Lion eggs

250g plum tomatoes, quartered and deseeded
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp hot chilli powder
Pinch of sugar
35g fresh coriander leaves

Minted yoghurt:
150g fat-free natural or Greek yoghurt
35g mint leaves, chopped
½ tsp ground cumin powder
½ lemon

2 flat seeded flat breads, grilled until warm and a little crispy at the edges (optional)

Method:

1. Mix the mint with the yoghurt, cumin and the lemon juice. Leave to one side.
2. Place a large non-stick pan on a low heat and add in the vegetable oil. Add the garlic to the pan along with the spring onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously so the garlic doesn’t burn.
3. Add the spices and stir well. Next add in the deseeded tomatoes. Coat the tomato petals in the spices and cook until soft but not mushy; 6-8 minutes is plenty.
4. Make 4 gaps in the tomato mixture and crack in the eggs. Season the top of each egg with a small pinch of cumin and a little salt. Cook until the whites are firm but the yolk is runny. Grill the flat breads in the meantime.
5. Once the egg and tomato dish is ready, you can either serve it in the pan or scoop it out onto a plate with the grilled flatbreads.
6. Scatter over the fresh coriander and serve with the minted yoghurt on the side.

Curried scrambled eggs with spinach and smoked haddock

Sophie says: This is a perfect carb-free meal!  Incredibly tasty, quick to prepare, cheap to buy and above all else...healthy!

Ingredients:
6 British Lion eggs
200g baby spinach, washed
200g smoked haddock
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp medium curry powder
Fresh coriander
1 red chilli, finely sliced
2 lime wedges

1. Half fill a shallow saucepan with water and place onto a medium heat. Add the smoked haddock (we've used dyed haddock but you can use undyed for equally delicious results) and bay leaves and bring to a simmer before turning off the heat. Leave for 4 minutes or until the fish has turned opaque. Remove the fish from the water using a slotted spoon, flake the flesh from the skin and break into large pieces. Leave to one side.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the mustard seeds, allow them to toast and cook until they start to pop - this will release the flavour from the seeds. Turn down the heat, add in the garlic and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes. Don’t allow the garlic to burn as this will make the final dish bitter. Add the curry powder and a pinch of salt. Cook for another minute before adding the spinach. Stir well and allow the spinach to wilt. Season generously with black pepper.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs well. Once the spinach has completely wilted, turn up the heat and pour in the beaten eggs. Stir with a plastic spatula until the eggs are well scrambled.
4. Just before serving, fold in the cooked smoked haddock. Don’t allow the flakes to break up too much.
5. When ready to serve, tip the curried eggs onto a big serving platter. Scatter with the fresh red chilli, lots of coriander leaves and a wedge of lime each.

What makes eggs a superfood?

Find more British Lion eggs recipes here.