AVOCADO TOASTS WITH TOGARASHI

I am an amazing one-handed cook. Seriously, you should see me in the kitchen. Lulu’s favorite place to be is perched on my left hip; especially between the hours of 4-6pm. So, I’ve adapted to one handed cooking. The kids have been fighting the flu/terrible virus/croup/bubonic plague so I’ve had lots of time to work on my set of one-handed skills; I’m getting pretty good at one-handed typing.

I’ve learned a couple of things this past week: Popsicles in the bath can be a great distraction for grumpy, feverish kids; you won’t turn into a vampire if you don’t leave the house for 10 days (and counting); you will let sick kids get away with atrocious table manners if it means they are consuming calories; it’s possible to watch three Disney movies a day for 10 days straight and not lose your mind (completely); when your baby loses their voice from coughing it’s both sad and cute.

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With all of the mental and physical demands of caring for sick kids over the past week, I found myself gravitating towards, and thinking a lot about, comfort food. The moment the kids’ temperatures spiked I called Kyle to pick up the ingredients for chicken noodle soup, crackers, and popsicles. I also made a quick run to the library to pick up a copy of my favorite comfort book. I’ve read Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver a dozen times and for some reason I had to have it this past week. I gave my well-loved copy away a couple of years ago but thankfully the library had it’s own well-loved copy for me to borrow.

The comfort food I turn to most is toast. I’ve been making a lot of toast. Cinnamon sugar toast for snacks, which is what my mom used to make for my siblings and myself and something I crave almost immediately when I’m feeling under the weather. I ate cinnamon sugar toast almost every single day when I was pregnant with Gigi. That, and warm milk with honey. So that’s what I make for the girls when they aren’t feeling good.

I also love to make avocado toast. I use Kyle’s freshly baked sourdough bread, smear it with a bit of mayonnaise or Vegenaise, smash some avocado on top, and hit it with sprinkles of Togarashi, also sometimes called Shichimi Togarashi  (a mix of Japanese chili peppers), flaky salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I could eat that every day… and often do.

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I think (hope) that we are on the upswing from this illness. We are planning to spend the next few days getting more rest, sipping water spiked with Elderberry Syrup, reading favorite books, little walks around the neighborhood for fresh air, and nibbling lots more toast.

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AVOCADO TOASTS WITH TOGARASHI

Ingredients.
1 ripe avocado, cut in half, pit discarded
4 slices of rustic French bread
flake salt
1-2 slices of lemon
Togarashi – Japanese chili pepper blend
mayonnaise or Vegenaise
extra virgin olive oil

Directions.
Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Pop them under the broiler until golden and crisp.

Allow the toast to cool for a moment. In a small bowl smash up the avocado flesh with a fork.

Smear the toast with a bit of mayonnaise or Vegenaise. Scoop the avocado onto the toast and spread it with a fork until it covers the surface of the toast.

Sprinkle a bit of flake salt and Togarashi onto top, finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy immediately.

Serves 2.



PRINTABLE RECIPE.
AVOCADO TOASTS WITH TOGARASHI