Angelic Eggs

A few years ago, my husband's doctor diagnosed him with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux, or LPR.  It's sort of like heartburn, but the acid goes all the way into his throat, with dire consequences.  The doctor sent him home with a list of foods that could possibly trigger his reflux:  onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, chocolate, curry . . . pretty much everything that makes eating worthwhile.  It was overwhelming, and we had some exceedingly bland dinners for a while. 

By experimenting with recipes, we found that many of these foods are not that dangerous for my husband.  Tomatoes are not a problem.  Onions seem to be all right, in reduced amounts.  Chocolate is a tonic, not a trigger.  Pepper, however, is right out.  And mustard.  I don't care for mustard, myself, but my husband loves it.  And it really makes him feel awful.  With admirable restraint, the poor guy eats his sandwiches with wasabi, instead (which, curiously, the doctor recommends).  But he misses mustard.

Which brings us to Easter.  We enjoy coloring hard-boiled eggs, hunting for them, and eating them, deviled, for our Easter feast.  My husband thought he'd have to give up deviled eggs, depending as they usually do on mustard.  But I knew there must be a better way. 

And there is--with these ingredients:

hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and basil.

Just as you would for deviled eggs, remove the shells, cut the eggs in half, and remove the yolks to a bowl.

Add enough mayo to achieve your preferred level of creaminess.

Then stir in basil, to taste. 

Fresh basil, finely chopped, would be even better, but I never have any around at Easter time.

Scoop the yolk mixture back into the whites.  I garnished these with fresh chives, which are growing in my garden, and seem to be safe for my husband.  Instead, you could add parsley, or more basil.

Happy Easter!