Special to The PREVIEW
For many people, October means enjoying the crisp Colorado weather, watching the leaves change, dressing up in fun costumes and finding new pumpkin-flavored treats to try.
The Colorado Egg Producers (CEP) Association has another reason for Coloradans to celebrate this month — World Egg Day.
Every second Friday in October, World Egg Day brings together people of different cultures and nationalities to celebrate the versatility, affordability and nutritional value of eggs.
This year, World Egg Day is on Oct. 14 and coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month. CEP encourages you to celebrate these occasions by enjoying a delicious Hispanic-inspired meal of eggs at home or at your favorite restaurant.
“Each year, World Egg Day gives our producers the opportunity to share the incredible benefits of eggs with their communities,” said Jerry Wilkins, president of CEP. “At only 15 cents per serving, eggs are a healthy, accessible dish for families throughout Colorado and around the world. Not to mention, they are filled with six grams of high-quality protein, all nine essential amino acids and many nutrients and vitamins.”
Countries around the world will celebrate the 21st anniversary of World Egg Day and the incredible, edible egg with festivals, cooking competitions, races and more. We encourage you to celebrate the influences of Hispanic and Latino culture on American cuisine this month by enjoying a delicious traditional egg dish for breakfast, brunch or dinner. Everyone can enjoy the versatility and nutritional value of eggs through dishes such as chilaquiles and savory breakfast tacos.
For an egg-cellent home cooked meal, we recommend this recipe for huevos rancheros, courtesy of the American Egg Board.
Huevos rancheros
Serving size: 4
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon each tomato paste and finely chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
4 small corn tortillas
2 teaspoon butter
4 large eggs
salt and pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
4 lime wedges
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, or until softened. Stir in cumin, oregano, salt, tomato paste and chipotles for 1 minute or until combined. Add tomatoes with juice; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove skillet from heat and cover to keep warm.
Bake tortillas in single layer on large baking sheet in preheated 400 F oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until crispy.
For sunny-side up, over-easy or over-hard eggs: Heat butter in large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat until just melted. Break eggs and slip into skillet one at a time. Immediately reduce heat to low. Cook eggs for about 5 minutes or until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. Serve as is or flip eggs over carefully and cook to desired doneness. Sprinkle eggs lightly with salt and pepper.
Spoon warm sauce evenly over tortillas on four plates. Top each tortilla with a fried egg and sprinkle with feta and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Pick up a carton of eggs before World Egg Day. You can save $0.55 when you purchase two dozen eggs at your local grocery story. Visit www.coloradoeggproducers.com/eggcoupon to download a coupon today.
Find more Hispanic-inspired recipes by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. To learn more about CEP, please visit www.coloradoeggproducers.com.
About the CEP
The CEP Association is a membership organization representing six farms throughout Colorado.
For more facts and information about eggs and CEP, including a list of where to buy Colorado eggs, please visit www.coloradoeggproducers.com.
