Washington – “Why didn’t I think of that?” was my main reaction when I first heard of avocado toast.
I have enjoyed and advocated ripe avocado as a bread spread for years. Its creaminess and buttery flavour is ideal on toast in the morning, adding a rich yet healthful element to the breakfast plate. But aside from topping mine with a slice of tomato, that is as far as I took it.
Then avocado toast burst onto the scene, lifting my basic breakfast staple to new heights with all sorts of creative toppings, and spreading the love to meals and snacks throughout the day. Seemingly suddenly, variations of avocado toast were everywhere, from my Instagram feed to my favourite lunch spot. I quickly jumped on the bandwagon and started seeing my old friend in brand-new ways.
Avocado toast is so simple that explaining how to make it is like giving someone a recipe for a peanut butter and jam sandwich. But getting key elements right will make for an outstanding treat. Start with bakery-quality whole-grain bread, preferably with some density and nutty texture to it. Make sure the avocado is perfectly ripe. It should give slightly when you press it with your thumb, but it shouldn’t feel mushy. If it is not ready, put it in a paper bag on your kitchen counter for a day or so to allow it to soften.
Place the mashed avocado (to which you can add a squeeze lemon or lime and salt, if you’d like) on to the toasted bread, and then have fun with the toppings. I recommend using some kind of protein, a crunchy element and something to add a kick of flavour.
For protein try shredded or crumbled cheese, hard-cooked or fried egg, a dollop of hummus or Greek yogurt, or chopped cooked chicken. Get crunch from fresh vegetables and/or fruit, such as grated carrot, cucumber, sprouts, shredded cabbage, pomegranate, chopped apple or grapes. And add a kick from fresh herbs, a drizzle of hot sauce, some salsa, pickles or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes. I like to finish it off with a bit of coarse sea salt as well.
The accompanying recipe features one of my favourite avocado toast combinations; it brings my old friend from the side of the breakfast plate to its rightful place at centre stage, and it also makes for a satisfying afternoon snack or a light lunch alongside a salad or soup.
Avocado Toast With Egg, Cucumber and Radish
4 servings
Ingredients
1 medium ripe avocado
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more as needed
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
4 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
1/4 English (seedless) cucumber, unpeeled, sliced into thin half-moons
2 radishes, sliced into thin rounds or half-moons
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Chili-garlic sauce, may substitute an extra sprinkling of salt and pepper)
Steps
Mash the avocado with the lime juice, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the 1/8 teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl until it is fairly smooth, with some remaining chunks.
Divide the mixture among the slices of toasted bread, spreading it to cover. Layer the cucumber and radish slices on top, then scatter the egg over the vegetables. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Drizzle with the chili-garlic sauce. Serve right away.
Nutrition per serving:240 calories, 11g protein, 21g carbohydrates, 14g fat, 3g saturated fat, 185mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 3g sugar
* Krieger’s most recent cookbook is “Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.
Washington Post