More times than I can shake a stick at I get asked “TKW, what do YOU eat?” Wait, what exactly does that phrase mean “more times than you can shake a stick at”? Why am I shaking a stick in the first place and who am I shaking it at? Hmmm… do we have any etymology majors out there? *shrugs* Yeah so like I was saying I get asked “Well what do you eat for breakfast? or “What’s your favorite go-to recipe?”
For those of you that have been here forever, you’ll already know the answer to that. For those of you that are brand new to the TKW Family, my all-time favorite food is pizza. The perfect pizza is with bacon but then bacon, on its own, is a food group in my world. But since my metabolism pretty much ceases to exist I cannot live on pizza alone. Well okay, I could but I’d be bigger than the house.
What’s funny is when I tell folks my favorite go-to dish whether it’s a Saturday morning, a great post-work snack, or something that I need quick and fast they act surprised. It’s as if they expect something elaborate and out there. I’m going to let you in a little secret folks… most of us out there, do eat normal foods just like you. Just because our lives are so involved in food and all varieties of it, often the most simplistic is the best.
For me, I’m all about Smashed Avocado Dippy Egg Breakfast Toast. It’s simple, unpretentious, healthy, and super filling. For me, it just fits every part of my palate – savory, salty, spicy, sorta sweet, creamy, buttery, and bright. Hmmm if I were Snow White those would be my dwarf’s names! LOL
So before you ask, no you can’t substitute something for avocados. Either you like ’em or don’t. And I’ll be honest I’m surprised that folks don’t like them. They don’t have a strong taste and, when they are truly ripe, they are so buttery and rich but without all the fat and bad stuff like regular butter does. And next to the cilantro… okay fine I get that either you love it or hate it. No one just ‘tolerates’ it. Could you omit it and use something else? Maybe… Some will use parsley in it but it’s just not the same if you ask me.
I started eating this probably 10 years or so ago. When we’d go out for Mexican food, people would order guacamole and while I really liked it I wouldn’t eat it because it had ‘chunks’ of stuff in it; i.e., onions. However, I loved the taste of avocados. So I decided to make my own guac minus the onions and stuff. FYI.. you need the onions but you can be like me and mince ’em super small. Anyway, what I did end up with was a killer spread. The first few batches were more smooth like traditional guacamole however the one day I left it more chunky. Seriously just altering the texture was AMAZING!
Next, I went with the whole – do I make it a sandwich or open-faced contemplation? For me the sandwich kind of defeated the whole dippy egg oozing all around. Plus I kinda like seeing the yolk run all over the toast and avocado. Okay fine I’ll confess, every single time I would eat it as a sandwich I’d end up wearing the yolk down my hand and arm or have it drip all over the place. And I’m sorry but I LOVE me some runny yolk so the open face won out. Depending on the size of your bread you can either go with 2 open face pieces or if your bread is like my Jewish rye which is ginormous, one piece is plenty.
Literally, this dish takes under 10 minutes to make. Well, that depends on if you want a runny yolk or not.
If you notice my yolk is runny, my whites are set AND I didn’t flip the egg at all to achieve this. For years I used to think that when I saw pictures like this that either the picture was photoshopped OR the egg was undercooked. Yeah no, I know there are some of you out there that are pretty like your eggs just barely cooked or better yet where your egg is merely waved over a flame. Um no, even I can’t do that. I can’t do runny whites. No no no no *shudder*
In the recipe, I walk you through how to do this. The trick, at least what I’ve found is low and slow. So for me to get perfect dippy eggs like this without flipping, I start them off on a medium-hot skillet, and then as soon as the white stop spreading I reduce the heat to low and let it cook. I’ve heard some that swear by covering it with a lid and I’ve done that before but what I found is that it almost steams the egg (and yolk). And for photo purposes, it’s not very visually appealing.
I will confess that I’m the only one in my house that will eat this. Mr. Fantabulous thinks it’s “weird” and “foo-foo” food. So be it – more for me! He really likes avocados but as guacamole or sliced on a burger. Anything else, nope. Me, however, I’ll eat ’em any way you slice/bake/smash or whatnot.
It’s a great swap out for say sour cream or mayo. AND it’s killer in cakes and desserts to cut back on the fat. Yep, you read that right! Avocados have a very butter-like taste and texture so they can easily be used in baking as a substitute for butter or oil. You can do a one-for-one substitute but you’ll need to increase your wet ingredients a bit as they don’t really ‘melt’ like butter. I tend to use 90% avocado to 10% fat, you’ll dramatically cut back on the fat content. Plus you may want to reduce your temperature by 25 degrees when you’re doing a full 100% swap out.
Now I know you’re going to ask “Can you taste them?” I’d say no to just barely. What I’ve seen, predominately in lighter cakes is that it may have a slight greenish hue. I mean that kinda makes sense as they are green after all.
So now you know what TKW loves to eat; what my go-to food is. I strongly suggest giving this a try. Unless you truly hate avocados or you’re allergic really, give it a try. I’m pretty sure you’ll fall in love with it!
And one last tip – how to pick the perfect avocado:
Peel back the small stem or cap at the top of the avocado. If it comes away easily and you find green underneath, you’ve got a good avocado that’s ripe and ready to eat. That’s the kind of fruit you want to take home with you. Also give it a gently squeeze. If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure you know it’s ripe and ready to eat.
If you pull it back and it’s brown – it’s overripe. You can still eat it but it’s past its prime.
PrintSmashed Avocado Dippy Egg Breakfast Toast
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoon rough chopped cilantro
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices whole grain or Jewish rye bread
Instructions
- In a bowl add the pitted avocado, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and lime juice.
- With a fork or potato masher, mash the avocado together so it’s just slightly chunky. You don’t want it smooth.
- Add in the chopped cilantro, stir and set aside.
- Place a medium non-stick pan over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot give it a light spray with cooking oil.
- Crack one egg in at a time using a heat-safe spatula to help form the egg into a circle or oval depending on your toast.
- As soon as the white stops spreading (usually within 15-25 seconds) crack the other egg trying not to touch the whites.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the whites to cook until set. ~5-8 minutes for the whites to be set and the yolks to be running. Cook longer for solid yolks. By cooking them low and slow there’s no need to flip the eggs.
- While the eggs are cooking toast the bread until golden brown.
- When the bread is toasted, plate each slice and evenly divide the smashed avocados on top spreading out.
- Top each with a dippy egg and dig in but be sure to have your napkin handy for that runny yolk!
Other great uses for avocados:
My FAVORITE – Crispy Baked Avocado Fries!!!
Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing/Dip
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