Healthy Vegetarian Recipes:
Southwestern Omelet Wrap

This is one of those healthy vegetarian recipes that combines southwestern cuisine and eggs in a delicious and innovative way. Eggs are one of those foods that have had a mixed reputation. Worries have been raised about the danger of salmonella poisoning from eating eggs but, when stored and cooked properly, there is no more danger of this from eggs than from meat. There has also been concern about the amount of cholesterol contained in eggs but actually, only 27% of the fat in egg yolks (the white contains little fat) is saturated fat, and studies have shown that dietary cholesterol has little effect on the blood cholesterol of most people.

On the plus side, eggs are a fabulous source of protein, providing all of the essential amino acids required in the human diet. They also contain many beneficial vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B2, B9 (folic acid), B6, B12, D, E, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Not bad for one 70-calorie food item! Of course, as for all foods that are moderate to high in fat content, moderation in eating as part of a balanced diet is important in keeping the heart healthy. Eating one egg a day will not harm your health.

Cilantro is the leafy part of the coriander plant, something widely used in Mexican, Indian and Asian cooking. Interestingly, in view of the above discussion about eggs, chemicals found in cilantro have been shown to combat salmonella bacteria, so the combination of eggs and coriander is a judicious one, in the unlikely event of contamination! Cilantro also contains a significant amount of antioxidants, which both prevents food from spoiling and greatly benefits the human immune system.

If you have not tried the mixture of wrap, eggs, cilantro and beans before, we can heartily recommend that you begin with this dish that is so tasty it will have you coming back for more!