Avocado Toast 2 ways

Morning breakfast is always a challenge especially with kids during school days. It is important to have some healthy and fulfilling breakfast ideas handy. Avocado toast is one such breakfast that is delicious and fulfilling. The warm crusty bread paired with creamy avocados is just the best combination. It is one of the favorite breakfast items in my household and I make it frequently as it is super easy and quick to put it together. There are various ways to prepare Avocado Toast to please your taste buds. I am going to share two preparation styles for this wholesome breakfast - Tomato basil avocado toast and Loaded avocado toast! But before we begin with the recipe, here are some points to keep in mind when buying avocados. 

Pick the right avocados - 

It is very tricky to find that perfect avocado that is not too ripe or too raw. We all desire to pick just that perfect creamy avocado that you can cut open and scoop out! There is a three step process that can help you choose the right avocado from the stack. 

• First is the color test - when you are shopping for avocados, look for the ones that are dark green in color. Avoid picking black as well as light green colored avocados. Usually the black ones are over-ripe while the light green ones are under-ripe.  
• Second is the touch test - if the avocado is too hard it is usually under-ripe, whereas if it feels too soft or if there is a slack it is probably over-ripe. Hold the avocado in your palm and gently squeeze it, if it's ripe then it should feel soft but not mushy. 
• Lastly, do a cap check - As a final check, peel back the cap or stem from the top of the chosen avocados. You should see green color under the top. This would confirm that the avocado is just ripe and perfect for use. However, if you see brown color then it is mostly an over-ripe avocado. 

Hence, always do these quick tests to find the best avocados to prepare the creamiest Avocado toasts. 

Important Tips/ Notes - 

• I have used avocado cutter for cutting and scooping avocado. You can use knife or spoon if you don't have it handy. However, if you are like me who eats avocados quite often then I would suggest to get one of the avocado cutters as they are very useful. 
• For the recipes I have used sweet cherry tomatoes, however you can easily substitute them with any sweet ripe tomatoes that are available to you.
• Any type of thick bread slice can be used for the recipe. I have used sourdough bread for the recipe, but I have also prepared the toasts using honey wheat bread. They both work just fine.
• Be sure to toast the bread slice nicely until golden crispy, so that it can hold the weight of the avocado and the toppings and does not sag down. 
• I have used yellow bell pepper for the recipe as they are lightly sweet but you can certainly use red bell peppers if that's easily available to you.
• For the loaded avocado toast, I have sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on it. You can also make the seasoning at home or simply switch it with plain toasted sesame seeds or any other seeds that you prefer.

Avocado Toast 2 ways 

Tomato Basil Avocado Toast

Prep time - 10 minutes

Yields - 2 Toasts

Ingredients

2 Slices of bread

1 Medium ripe avocado

6-8 Cherry Tomatoes

Handful of Sweet basil leaves

1 Tsp Extra virgin olive oil 

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut avocado in half and remove the seed. Now in a large bowl, scoop out the flesh of avocado using avocado cutter or big spoon. Now mash it up with a fork to your desired smoothness or chunkiness. 

Further, toast bread slices in the toaster or oven while we prepare the rest of the toppings.

Thinly slice the cherry tomatoes and finely chop the sweet basil leaves as shown in the video. 

When the bread slices are nicely toasted, spread the creamy mashed avocado on top. Top with half the slices of cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to your liking. Finally, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. Repeat the same with the next slice of toasted bread.

The delicious creamy Tomato Basil Avocado Toasts are ready to enjoy with coffee or juice. 

Loaded Avocado Toast

Prep time - 15 minutes

Yields - 3 Toasts

Ingredients

3 Slices of toasted bread

1 Medium ripe avocado (pitted and peeled)

1 Clove of garlic

1 Spring onion 

1 Small carrot

1 Large slice of yellow bell pepper

1/2 Lemon

2 Medium radish

1 Tsp Extra virgin olive oil 

1 Tsp Red chili flakes

1 Tbsp Everything bagel seasoning 

2 Cherry tomatoes (optional)

2-3 Sweet basil leaves (optional)

Salt to taste

Instructions

Start with toasting the bread slices to golden brown.

Next, finely chop garlic and thinly slice spring onion. Add them to pitted and peeled avocado flesh in a bowl. Add sliced cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. Squeeze in lemon juice. Mash and combine everything well. 

Now dice yellow bell pepper and carrot while thinly slicing the radish. Add both yellow bell pepper and carrot to the mashed avocado mix. Add in extra virgin olive oil, pinch of salt and red chili flakes. The everything bagel seasoning also has some salt so do not add too much salt in this step. Combine well. 

Spread the loaded avocado mix on the toasted bread slice. Top with radish and generous sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning. Repeat on the remaining bread slices. The Loaded super healthy and full of colorful veggies Avocado toasts are ready to gobble.