Yes, I jumped on board the Avocado Toast Express. I know it’s this super trendy thing now, but being as slow as I am to these things, I didn’t know it was a trend until after I’d already been eating it for months. For the longest time I made it the same way – toasted bread kissed with a garlic clove, smashed avocado, lemon juice, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. And the heavens rejoiced each time. In fact, I was recently visited by my longtime friend Lisa (hi, Lisa!), and upon arriving home from the airport late at night, I offered her avocado toast as snack. She loved it so much that she requested it as her breakfast on the day she left, and texted me a few days later that she’d had it several times since coming home. I thought, “hey, I’m so trendy now, I am spreading the avocado toast love!”

But I have a confession to make. I was bored with my avocado toast. I wanted more. I wanted it to have protein and texture and a hint of sweetness. And then, as if the avocado gods were calling to me, I suddenly knew exactly what to do. And so it was that the Best Avocado Toast was born. And the angels sang and the oceans parted and the sky rained glittery unicorns.

Um, ok, maybe the unicorn part didn’t happen. But still. This is the best avocado toast ever. It’s creamy, crunchy, spicy, and sweet, all in one crazy delicious bite. It’s totally balanced both in flavor and nutrition, and can be eaten as a snack or as a light summer meal (no cooking!). It is, in short, perfection. Let’s do this thing.

We start with the bread. This is toast, after all. It’s super important that you use a thick, hearty bread, because it’s got to be able to hold up the toppings. Otherwise you’ll end up with a soggy mess that falls all over your plate instead of going into your face, and that would be really sad.

My favorite trick for getting long, thick, slices of bread is to cut the loaf at a severe angle with a good-quality serrated knife. You’ll end up with several slices that are almost twice as long as what you’d get if you just cut it straight across the width. Nifty, huh? If you already knew about this trick, high-five! We are both super cool kitchen ninjas.

If all you have is a regular toaster, then you might be thinking, “Beth, how in blazes am I going to be able to fit that huge honking slice of bread in my toaster? Are you nuts?”

Well, yes, but that’s a different conversation. If you really want those long slices, but don’t have a toaster oven, my suggestion would be to toast the slices under the broiler in your oven. But that does sort of defeat the whole no cooking in the summer thing. So, if that’s the case, just go with whatever size slice of bread that works with your toasting equipment. Ok, I’m glad we got that resolved.

Moving on. We need to mash up some edamame and avocado. The edamame is a great addition because it stretches the avocado so you can pile it on to your toast with less guilt. It’s got loads of protein and fiber too! I like to keep a bag of shelled edamame in the freezer, and then it just takes a minute of soaking in warm water to be ready to mash.

Here comes the crunchy/sweet factor – raw corn! I could eat a bowl of this stuff every day. It’s so good! Vida comes by her carbaholic ways honestly, that’s for sure. Another prep trick for you – cut the corn off the cob over a kitchen towel. It keeps the kernels from flying all over the place. I’m looking out for you.

Now, slice up some scallions and mix them with the corn into the mashed avocado and edamame. You’ve got some serious goodness staring you in the face right about now. Finally, it’s time to flavor this bad boy up and get to topping some toast. This is where your tastebuds need to help you out – we’re going to season the mixture “to taste” with some lime juice and salt. This is how it works. Squeeze in some lime, add a pinch of salt, taste it, and more until it tastes good to you. Try not to eat it all.

By the way, at this point you basically have a super tasty guacamole. Two recipes in one, what could be better? But this is avocado toast we’re making here, so let’s keep going.

When your bread is toasted, rub the cut side of a garlic clove onto the surface of the bread. The garlic will essentially melt onto the bread and give it some flavor love.

Then, spread on some of the avocado mixture, and add any or all of the following toppings:

– drizzle of olive oil

– crushed red pepper flakes

– squeeze of lime

– sprinkle of salt

– diced tomato

– chopped cilantro

– sprinkle of hemp seeds

I’ll leave you alone now – this moment should be private.

There you have it, folks – the best avocado toast ever! I hope you’ll make this soon and tell me how it goes in the comments – it seriously makes my day when you try these recipes. And if you’re an Instagram person, take a photo of your creation and tag #eatwithinyourmeans so I can give you a high five emoji! 😉

The Best Avocado Toast Take avocado toast to the next level with protein-packed edamame, sweet and crunchy corn, and crushed red pepper flakes. Your tastebuds will thank you! 4.65 from 17 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4 slices Calories: 280 kcal Author: Beth Hornback Ingredients 4 slices thick whole grain bread (or gluten-free equivalent)

1 large ripe avocado

1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 lime

1 scallion (sliced thinly)

1/2 cup raw fresh corn kernels (1 ear)

1/2 cup tomato (diced)

1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)

1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional)

salt to taste

crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

olive oil (for drizzling) Instructions Toast the bread.

Soak the edamame in warm water in a small bowl.

Cut the corn off the cob and measure out 1/2 cup (save remaining corn for another use).

Mash the edamame in a small bowl and then mash in the avocado.

Add the sliced scallions and corn to the avocado/edamame mixture.

Add the juice from half of the lime along with a sprinkle of salt, mix, and taste. Add more lime juice or salt as needed.

When the toast is done, rub a cut garlic clove over the surface of each piece of toast.

Spread the avocado mixture evenly onto each piece of toast.

Top each slice with a drizzle of olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, hemp seeds, tomato, and cilantro. You can also add a sprinkle of salt and lime juice if you like. Nutrition Serving: 1 toast | Calories: 280 kcal | Protein: 10 g | Fat: 16.89 g | Sodium: 738 mg | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 100 IU | Vitamin C: 22.3 mg Did you make this recipe? Tag @passtheplants on Instagram and hashtag it #passtheplants





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