Lemony Avocado Toast with Arugula
July 12, 2016 By Cathy — 8 CommentsA smear of creamy avocado mash on multi grain toast topped off with peppery arugula makes for a quick and satisfying breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Avocado toast. Chances are you’ve seen it on the menu at your favorite little brunch place at some point over the past couple years. It’s a deliciously healthy alternative to stack of pancakes or a cheesy omelette. I love it topped with a runny egg or thick slice of tomato, but perhaps my favorite is the recipe I’ll share with you today: avocado mixed with loads of lemon and topped with peppery arugula. It’s so simple and satisfying and not only a great breakfast, but a perfect option for a quick lunch or dinner.
Avocado was not in my vocabulary, let alone on the table when I was a kid. It didn’t marry well with the red-sauced Italian dishes we favored and our vegetables of choice were typically steamed broccoli, carrots or peas. Our grocery store simply didn’t carry all of the different greens you can easily find today, so our salads regularly consisted of iceberg lettuce mixed with diced tomato and cucumber. Not a leaf of baby arugula in sight! Well, happily times have changed and so have our options. From the variety of fresh, organic vegetables available to the locally sourced selections, making healthy choices has never tasted so good.
Three items that I now always have on hand are avocado, arugula and lemons. My younger son is a guacamole junkie, so I know I’m making guac for him at least once a week. And salads are in heavy rotation at our house, with baby arugula being my favorite green. So you know you can count on a package or two of that in my crisper drawer. I also favor a simple salad dressing most nights and the one I whisk together most is a basic lemon vinaigrette.
Put these three staples together and you have my favorite version of avocado toast. The creamy avocado is mashed with lemon juice and zest, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes for a little kick, and just a drizzle of olive oil. I love it paired with a rustic multi-grain bread, all toasted and crunchy, and finally I top it off with a handful of arugula, lightly dressed in lemon vinaigrette.
While I love avocado toast for breakfast, I honestly find myself having it for lunch or dinner just as often. My boys’ busy social calendars had them elsewhere for dinner the other night, so I grabbed a ripe avocado and made myself dinner for one. And let me tell you, avocado toast and coffee for breakfast has nothing on avocado toast, sauvignon blanc and a good book for dinner!
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
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- Avocado Mash
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
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- 2 slice multi-grain bread toasted
- A couple handfuls of arugula
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Vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients until emulsified.
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Avocado Mash: Cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Score the avocado halves and then scoop the avocado out into a small bowl.
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Add the zest, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes and olive oil and mash together.
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Spread the avocado mash on the toast.
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Toss arugula with the dressing and place on top of the avocado mash. Enjoy!
Sign me up Cathy! This is one of my favorite lunches! Thumbs up!
Ditto Mary Ann!
I made it :). Thank you for the scrumptiousness. I messed up the lemon zest the first time. Second attempt, I eliminated the zest (because I am not capable) and just put in a little more lemon juice. Working on getting my kids to get past the buttery/creamy texture of avocados… Any suggestions?
A little extra lemon juice works just fine! I’m so glad you gave it a second attempt! As far as getting your kids on the avocado band wagon, I would suggest to simply keep trying. I have two boys and one is avocado obsessed. He’ll eat it in any form. The other usually turns up his nose, until just recently. He likes it less mushy and prefers bigger chunks or slices. So maybe play with the texture and hopefully they’ll come around!
I made this today. So delicious! Thank you!
glad you enjoyed!
Wow this is delicious & eye appealing. A new favorite at our house. Thanks for sharing, Chris V
Glad you enjoyed! It is a pretty vibrant green right?