If necessity is the mother of invention, then hunger must be her master chef, standing ready to whip up amazing culinary concoctions whenever she’s in need. Here’s how I know this is true:

On nights when I lift at the gym, I typically clock a little over an hour with the machines and free weights, bookended by a little cardio to warm me up and a little stretching to thank my muscles and cool me down at the end. My preferred gym time is right after I get home from work, and I don’t do much more at the house than say hi to The Man and give some quick love to the cats and dog before running up to change. I may take awhile to get ready for work in the mornings or to go out at night, but when it comes to changing for the gym, I’m a sprint champion and can be in and get out in less than seven minutes. After all, it takes me about 90 minutes just to get home from work. I don’t want to wait any longer than necessary to get in a good workout and, more importantly, a healthy dinner afterwards.

Typically, I eat something with protein on my commute home, sometimes peanut butter toast but in nice weather I definitely prefer one of these little lovelies. Either way, this is just enough of a snack to keep my stomach quiet through my workout. By the time I get back home though, hunger usually has me by the scruff and is positively demanding I pay attention to it righttheheckNOW!!! You know that point of hungry where your hands tremble just a little? Yeah, by the time I’ve let the dog out and cleaned up a little, that’s usually where I am.

So picture this:  A very hungry me, post-workout and shaky with hunger, standing in the kitchen on a steamy summer night wondering what to eat. It’s way too hot to cook anything, but none of the tomatoes in the garden are ripe enough to eat and an all-greens salad just isn’t going to cut it. The milk is gone, so the usual summer go-to dinner of cold cereal is out of the question.  There are some snacks for grazing, like grapes and cheese and some cherries, but that might not be enough for a hunger like this. What to do?!

I’d made some hard-boiled eggs a few nights before and there were still three left in the fridge, so with a mental “ho hum,” I went to fetch them. Just eggs for dinner, I asked myself? Even you have to admit that’s kind of boring. Then my eyes fell on the seedless rye sandwich flats sheltering from the humidity in the fridge, and an idea started to form. A quick inventory of the crisper yielded no celery but two carrots, and although we were out of plain Greek yogurt, I thought The Man might not mind if I stole one tablespoon of his mayo to use as a binder in my potential creation.  

Luckily for all of us, I was able to hold myself together through the recipe-making process to take some notes and the accompanying (sub-par) photos. However, I didn’t get the chance to take a picture of the final concoction because once it was plated, I just had to start eating. So if anyone else feels like making this recipe and perhaps adding their own flair to it, I hope you’ll Email me your photo to use in a follow-up blog. And now, in honor of Rye (one of our Grains of the Month for August) and in praise of hunger’s culinary inspiration, I give you my take on a fast and easy “It’s too hot to cook” midsummer night’s dinner.  Enjoy!  (Kara)


“Emergency” Egg Salad

3 hardboiled eggs
2 medium carrots
1 ½ Tbsp coarse-grain mustard (or any kind of flavorful condiment)
1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt (mayonnaise or even sour cream would work too)
coarse ground pepper to taste

1. Peel hardboiled eggs and place into bowl. Begin breaking up the eggs with a fork, then move on to a small whisk or dough cutter until egg pieces are desired size.

2. Peel and grate carrots, either thick grate or fine, depending on preference. Add to egg pieces and combine with fork until well blended.

3. Add coarse-grain mustard and plain Greek yogurt to egg and carrot mixture. Stir to mix well. Add pepper to taste.

Options:
 — Serve on a bed of arugula, baby spinach, or mesclun greens and garnish with freshly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.
 — For a hearty sandwich, spoon egg salad onto slices of whole grain bread and top with mixed greens.
 — Add-ins or personal twists seem unlimited and could include sliced black olives, diced red onion, hot pepper flakes, a dash of cayenne, a drizzle of chipotle sauce, chopped celery, grated zucchini, or julienne radishes.
 — To serve as an appetizer, wash leaves of romaine or endive, then pat dry and place hollow-side up on a platter. Spoon egg salad into hollows at the base, about one teaspoon per leaf, then sprinkle with fresh black pepper and top each with a slice of jalapeno or sweet gherkin.