Eggs are a great way to prepare nutritious and tasty meals.
With Easter approaching, many people may choose to invite family and friends over for a brunch. The following are ideas for special brunches, as well as quick and easy week night meals.
The following recipes were taken from the American Egg Board Web site at http://incredibleegg.org/index.html [1]

Eggs are a nutritious addition to mealtime
With all the media attention on cholesterol, consumers often lose sight of the fact that eggs are a nutrient rich, affordable contributor to a healthy diet, according to the Egg Nutrition Center.
Not only do eggs contain the highest quality source of protein available but they also contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed by humans, says the ENC.
In fact, egg protein is of such high quality that it is used as the standard by which other proteins are compared.
Eggs have a biological value (efficacy with which protein is used for growth) of 93.7 percent. Comparable values are 84.5 percent for milk, 76 percent for fish, and 74.3 percent for beef.
Eggs really are the best protein money can buy, and it has all those other valuable vitamins and minerals, too, according to the ENC.
For more information about eggs see the ENC Web site at /www.enc-online.org/index.html

Seafood Souffle
Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• Fine dry bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese or cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups skim or low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
• 6 eggs, separated
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 can (4.25 oz.) tiny shrimp, well drained OR 1 package (4 oz.) tiny frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and well drained
• can (6.5 oz.) chopped or minced clams, well drained OR 6 to 7 ounces chopped, cooked and well-drained fresh clams
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions with tops
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
-quart souffle dish or straight-sided casserole with spray. Dust with crumbs.
Make 4-inch wide band of triple-thickness aluminum foil long enough to go around dish and overlap 2 inches. Lightly spray one side of band and dust with crumbs. Wrap around outside of dish, dusted side in. Fasten with strong masking tape or string. Collar should stand at least 2 inches above rim of dish. Set aside.
In covered jar or blender container, shake or blend together milk, flour, mustard and salt, if desired, until smooth. Pour into medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and is smooth and thickened. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but not dry, just until whites no longer slip when bowl is tilted. Stir egg yolks into reserved sauce until well blended.
Stir in shrimp, clams, onions and lemon juice. Gently, but thoroughly, fold yolk mixture into whites. Carefully pour into prepared dish. For a “top hat”, hold spoon upright and circle mixture to make ring about 1 inch from side of dish and 1 inch deep.
Bake in preheated 350° F oven until puffy, delicately browned and souffle shakes slightly when oven rack is moved gently back and forth, about 50 to 60 minutes. Quickly, but gently, remove collar.

Open-Faced Spinach-Omelet Sandwich
Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• 4 cups fresh whole baby spinach leaves or chopped large spinach leaves (about 6 oz.)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 (8- to 9-inch) plain, tomato or herb-seasoned focaccia bread, split crosswise (about 5 oz.)
• 4 tomato slices
Evenly coat 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with spray. Add spinach and water. Cover. Cook over medium heat until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Pour out liquid, if necessary.
In medium bowl, beat together eggs, cheese and seasoning until blended. Pour over spinach mixture.
Gently stir to evenly distribute mixture in pan. Cover. Cook over medium heat until egg mixture is almost set, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, until egg mixture is completely set, about 2 to 3 minutes.
With pancake turner or spatula, slide frittata from pan onto bottom half of bread. Top with tomato slices and top half of bread. To serve, cut into wedges.
Nutrition information per serving of 1/4 recipe using baby spinach and plain focaccia bread: 217 calories, 8 gm total fat, 216 mg cholesterol, 448 mg sodium, 121 mg potassium, 23 gm carbohydrate, 15 gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for vitamins A, B12 and C, riboflavin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, dietary fiber

Curried Eggs and Peas
Ingredients
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (about 8 oz.)
• 2 teaspoons flour
• Cooking spray
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas*
• 1 cup thinly sliced onions (about 4 oz.)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• Hot cooked rice, optional
• Parsley sprigs, optional
preparation
In small bowl, stir together yogurt and flour. Set aside.
Evenly coat 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with spray. Over low heat, cook peas, onions and curry powder, covered, until onions are tender and peas are heated throughout, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved yogurt mixture. Gently stir in eggs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated throughout.

For each serving, spoon 3/4 cup egg mixture over rice, if desired. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Eggs are a part of our history
From the American Egg Board
Eggs have been a part of springtime traditions for a very long time. Centuries before Christ was born, pagan people of many nations celebrated the return of the sun and the rebirth of nature each spring. Since new life came from eggs, eggs became the symbol of nature’s rebirth. For Jews, too, a roasted egg on the Passover Seder plate has stood for life and the hope of salvation for many, many centuries. Later, Christians adopted the egg to represent Christ’s Resurrection.
Decorating eggs
Follow a few food safety rules when you decorate hard-cooked eggs. The most important thing to decide is whether or not you want to eat the decorated eggs later. If you won’t be eating the eggs, you can use any decorating materials you want and display the eggs anywhere for as long as you like. If you do want to eat the eggs, follow these rules:
• Wash your hands between all the steps of cooking, cooling, dyeing and decorating.
• Be sure that all the decorating materials you use are food safe.
• Keep the eggs refrigerated as much as possible. Keep putting them back into the refrigerator whenever you’re not working with them.
• Dye the eggs in water warmer than the eggs so they don’t absorb the dye water.
• If you hide the decorated eggs, put them where they won’t come into contact with pets, other animals or birds or lawn chemicals.
• After you’ve found all the hidden eggs, throw out any that have cracked or have been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Eat uncracked, refrigerated hard-cooked eggs within a week of cooking them.