Today is Thanksgiving.  I wish you and yours a Happy and a Healthy Thanksgiving!  My family dinner is simple this year - roast turkey, cauliflower stuffing and baked sweet potatoes.  My daughter is making pies for the group and I will probably have a thin slice of her bourbon pecan pie because this lifestyle is not about depriving me of anything I truly want, it is about knowing how much and how often is reasonable while still maintaining my health and my weight.

That being said what can you serve as an appetizer or bring as an appetizer that is weight loss surgery friendly, inexpensive and always well received?  Deviled eggs.  There are many ways to prepare the filling, you choose the one that suits your mood:

• First we have to boil the eggs - I do this by placing 6 eggs in a saucepan and then fill it 2/3 of the way with water.  Place it on the stove on high and let the water come to a rolling boil.  When it is boiling cover the pan and remove from the heat.  Allow it finish cooking the eggs and then cool, about an hour or so and then fill the saucepan with cold water.  remove the eggs one at a time, roll them back and forth between your hands, gently crack and peel.  They always peel easily for me when I cook them and peel them this way.  I don’t use an instapot or egg cooker, just my plain old saucepan.
• Now you have 6 hard boiled eggs.  Slice in half lengthwise and remove the yolks to a bowl.  Place the egg whites on a plate and set aside for the moment.
• Here comes the filling for the deviled eggs:

1. Traditional - add some mayonnaise and a bit of mustard, salt and pepper and mix.  Spoon gently into each egg white half and top with a splash of paprika
2. Spicy - substitute Siracha sauce for the mayonnaise and mustard
3. Pickled - mix the yolks with pickle relish or chopped pickles
4. Top the traditional with an olive slice, or pimento - Be courageous, use both.
5. Fill with tuna salad and sprinkle with dill
6. Top with a piece of smoked salmon and season with Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
7. Mix yolk, plain Greek yogurt and ranch dressing mix and fill
8. Mix some crumbled bacon and blue cheese crumbles with the yolk and a bit of plain Greek yogurt
9. Make it Greek- mix the yolk with plain Greek yogurt and feta cheese - either top with a sliced olive or use chopped olives in the yolk mix
10. Buffalo style with hot sauce, blue cheese crumbles and celery mixed with the yolks and a dab of mayonnaise

Those are just 10 quick variations of deviled eggs that are sure to please.  They are protein packed, healthy, and don’t break the budget.

Your imagination can create your own variation.  Share them with us!

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!