Andrew Liscio

Plain avocado toast can be so boring and traditional. Add some flare with fresh herbs and egg whites, and you have a heart healthy, power-packed meal complete with the protein, fiber, carbs, and vitamins to help you tackle the day!

Now I don’t want to be getting hate mail from my very first post because I’m calling my avocado toast holy, but you’ll see why in just a minute. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s always been hard for me to really get into. It doesn’t excite me too much unless there are some Bloody Mary’s or mimosas coming with it! If you’re trying to eat on the healthy side you are probably like me and get extremely tired of egg whites and oatmeal every morning, so I really wanted to to get excited about breakfast again.

This simple breakfast dish was inspired after I had a similar one at one of my favorite little rustic-chic chain cafés in Los Angeles, Le Pain Quotidien on Melrose Avenue. They served it with chia seeds, cucumber, and lemon on some pretty amazing bread. I decided to make a couple easy changes and make my breakfast of champions fit for a King.

Holy Avocado Toast

Ingredients (2 servings)

2 slices Ezekiel bread
2 egg whites
1 Haas avocado
1/2 small lemon (squeezed)
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
2 sprigs rosemary

Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated oleic acid, which is one of those “heart healthy” fatty acids and is linked to reduce inflammation. Hass avocados are usually the perfect size for when I make this and I love the rich texture. Scoop the inside of the entire of a ripe Hass avocado into a small bowl, squeeze half of a small lemon over top which will add great flavor without using salt and keep it from turning brown. Add some cracked black pepper to taste, then mash it all together with a fork until you get the desired texture. I tend to like mine on the chunky side. Pop that in the fridge until your ready for it in a couple minutes.

In a small non-stick pan, cook egg whites like you’re making a fried egg. Don’t scramble them otherwise you can’t fold them and make them look all pretty on top of your avocado. As the egg solidifies when it cooks, flip the rounded sides in to make a rectangle shape. Once the egg is fully cooked, you can now cut the rectangle in half and have two egg white squares to add to the top of your toast.

While your egg whites are cooking, grab two slices of your favorite Ezekiel bread and pop them in the toaster. – see what I did there? Ezekiel… Holy. The great thing about Ezekiel bread is that while most bread contains some amount of added sugar, this has none. It also is made from a number of different grains – typically millet, spelt, barley, wheat – and legumes – mostly lentils and soybeans. As a reminder, there is a common misconception that all Ezekiel bread is gluten free. Many are not – if you do your research you will see that barley, wheat, and spelt all contain gluten. Those with celiac disease, be sure to always check ingredients… and well, those self-diagnosed with an “allergy” to gluten should do better research.

Now it’s time to put it all together. Spread a hearty serving of your avocado and lemon juice mixture on the toasted Ezekiel bread. Place one egg white square on each slice of bread. Sprinkle the top with chia seeds to add some texture to your dish as well as a way to sneak in some omega-3 fatty acids and fiber (not to mention all the other wonderful health benefits of chia seeds). Lastly, garnish the top of each with a sprig of fresh roseMARY – adding to the “Holiness” – it gives a fresh and fragrant boost to the dish heightening the scent and taste of your meal.