Man-Worthy Healthy Egg Recipes

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then eggs are your ticket to a great start in the morning. One egg contains roughly 6 grams of protein and is packed with choline, a chemical similar to a B-vitamin which provides many benefits, including protecting livers from accumulating fat.

An egg's versatility is one of its greatest characteristics, and Evan Hanczor, a chef at Egg in Brooklyn, N.Y., explained his staff's go-to breakfast. They cook scrambled eggs and mix in sauteed garlic, onion, kale, mushrooms, broiled tomatoes (usually Muir Glen-branded canned tomatoes) on whole wheat bread.

Hanczor noted that eggs' flavor is best brought out by scrambling them. It helps that it's incredibly simple to cook them that way. Crack eggs into a bowl and use a whisk or a spoon to break the yolks and mix them. Then cook it in a heated pan until the egg whites and yolk are no longer in a liquid state. Hanczor cautioned against cracking eggs directly into a pan since extraneous pieces of the egg shell may fall in. Wh ile scrambled eggs are easy, there are other simple, healthy egg-based recipes. Here are three:

Egg in a hole
Cut a hole into the middle of a piece of whole wheat bread, put the bread in a pan and crack an egg into a bowl. Pour the egg -- with its yolk intact or broken -- into the middle of the bread and cook for a minute on each side.

"You can do anything with it," Hanczor said. Throw in basil and other herbs while it cooks. Make sure the egg white is firm before flipping it. After you remove it from the pan, top off the dish with a couple spoonfuls of salsa.

Hardboiled egg sandwich
This can be prepared before going to bed for the next day, or even before getting in your morning workout. Place a whole egg in a pot of cold water. Then use this tip from Hanczor: Before turning on the stovetop burner, use a thumbtack to poke a hole into the base of the egg, at the rounded part. That lets gas escape, which makes it easier to peel the shell, according to Hanczor. "You get a nicer looking egg," he added.

Use enough water to barely cover the eggs and bring them to a boil. At that point, turn off the burner and let the egg sit in the pot for 10 minutes. "We like to put them in ice water afterwards to stop it cooking," Hanczor said. Cut the egg in half and combine with lettuce and pickled vegetables, such as cucumbers. The acidity of pickled food is a perfect complement to an eggs' richness. "The flavors come together really well," Hanczor said.

Vegetable egg omelette
Take advantage of this winter's best vegetables, Hanczor said. Leeks, sweet potatoes and parsnips are among the veggies you can find at a local farmer's market or a grocery store. Sautee leeks and parsnips in a pan until they're tender and throw in jalapeno peppers for spice.

When using an egg to make an omelette, start with a nonstick pan so the egg can lift comfortably off the pan when flipping it with a spatula. There are other tricks to keep the egg together. "If you cook it slowly, the [egg] whites will have more time to set," Hanczor said. Each egg white has an outer and center portion. "The center is loose, so if you flip it when it's not ready, it'll shake or wobble to one side and make the egg land awkwardly [as you flip it]," Hanczor said. Practice is paramount. Cook eggs often enough and you'll get a feel for their consistency.

Let's be honest, guys, ladies aren't the only ones watching their waistlines. Our Gut Check column offers tailored advice on how to keep your weight in check by offering easy, healthy twists on your favorite foods and exercise advice for men who want to be a little closer to six-pack abs than a beer belly.

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