Monday, April 6, 2015

Eggs on Avocado


Like everyone else, I receive a bunch of food and lifestyle newsletters online. Sometimes they give me ideas for recipes, sometimes I'm amazed by the places people live. After all, Natasha is always trying to predict the next trend (and she's a little bossy), so I feel obligated to keep up. Otherwise, I would be just like Sophie!

A couple of weeks ago, I read about a very chic woman (of whom I'd never heard. How embarrassing not to be familiar with all the famous people! ; )) who said she had to have eggs on avocado for breakfast. She raved about it. Hmm. I never thought about that.

Not two weeks later, I read about another chic woman who swooned over eggs on avocado for breakfast. She had to have it!

Now, much like Sophie, I have to admit that I don't follow every trend. When I have bed head, it's because I slept that way, not because I styled my hair that way. I don't buy clothes with holes in them, even if that's how they were made. So I'm not likely to swoop in and try all the latest food fads, either. But reading about avocado and egg twice in such a short span of time made me curious.

There is a recipe sweeping the net in which one bakes an egg in an avocado by placing the raw egg in the spot where the avocado pit resided. I didn't think that was what these women meant, and frankly, the votes on that clever idea seem to be split. Some people hate it and some love it. Go figure.

Then I found a chef whose version was lovely but seemed unnecessarily cumbersome as it involved flattening the avocado and cooking it with the egg. Avocados are pretty good raw, so I wasn't sure that it was worth cooking them.

In the end, I made up my own version, which may or may not resemble the breakfast these women crave. I will say that while it wasn't incredible, it was pretty good. It was very fast to make, so it's ideal when there's not much time but more than a bowl of cereal is desired. And perhaps the best thing is that it's truly a complete meal. No cravings, no mid-morning snacks, no prowling for chocolate. I was full! Perfect for long days and kids about to take exams.

Avocado is loaded with good fat, which lowers cholesterol, and they're a great source of potassium. Eggs provide protein, choline, and 9 essential amino acids. And I put them on one slice of whole wheat bread, so that provided fiber. The eggs were fried in olive oil, which only adds more nutrients to the mix.

I cooked the eggs so that the yolks were still a bit runny. Of course, there's the risk of salmonella, so use your own judgement there. If your fried eggs are a disaster, you might want to read our post on frying eggs. The key, IMHO, is to fry them with a lid on and remove them from the heat as soon as the whites are set and not jiggly. Leave the lid on for one more minute while the yolks set a little bit more. See photo below. I also used Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, which I like on eggs, but any salt will do.


Eggs on Avocado Breakfast
for two people, double or triple for more

1 avocado
olive oil
2 eggs
2 slices of bread
salt and pepper
baby spinach leaves and grape tomatoes for garnish (optional)

Peel and pit the avocado.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. After a couple of minutes, turn the heat up to medium. Crack the eggs into the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Toast the bread.

Mash the avocado and spread half on each slice of toast. Salt and pepper.

When the whites are set, remove eggs from heat, leaving the lid on until the eggs are done to your liking. Place one egg on each piece of toast. Salt and pepper.

Make a little fan with a few baby spinach leaves and add a grape tomato as garnish. Serve immediately.

Peel and pit the avocado.

Mash and spread on toast.

These eggs are seen through a glass lid. At this point, I removed the pan from the heat.

Garnish with spinach leaves and a tomato.


16 comments:

  1. I LOVE avocado on wheat bread. That's my go to meal when I don't want to cook and can't decide what I want to eat. I've been seeing all of those avocado and egg posts, too, and have been thinking about giving it a try. Thanks for being my guinea pig!

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    1. LOL! Susan, I am delighted to have been your guinea pig. Avocado on bread alone is pretty tasty. I have to remember that the next time I don't feel like cooking!

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  2. Your recipe looks so delicious -- I will definitely have to try it! Thanks for getting it right for us~

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    1. It's not a blow-them-away breakfast like fantastic French toast, but it's healthy and hearty! Let me know what you think!

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  3. That looks good. For a while I was eating grilled avocado sandwiches, use the avocado instead of cheese in it. They were really good. But this would provide a bit of protein that the grilled avocado sandwich did not.

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    1. Oh! That's a clever idea. You're right about the protein, though. It's a much heartier breakfast than I expected.

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  4. Seems pretty good, although I could never eat my egg that way, skin crawl. I guess I will never be fashionable when it comes to my eggs, lol. Thanks for trying it out and making it so easy.

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    1. Kay, I think some people top the avocado with scrambled eggs. Is that more palatable to you?

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  5. Love avocados. Not a fan of fried eggs unless the yolks are smashed and firm. :) So I could do this with scrambled eggs! Yum! Though your version is so much prettier!

    Daryl / Avery

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    1. Daryl, you could certainly make it with scrambled eggs! The yolk probably is a little bit prettier but I bet scrambled eggs would be just as good.

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  6. Very pretty indeed!
    The one modification I'd make is on timing. I hate rock hard yolks, so I'd have everything else ready before the eggs went into the pan to cook.

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    1. I thought about that, but I didn't want the avocados to start turning dark. Do whatever you're comfortable with. 4 steps, # 4 has to be last. The others are kind of simultaneous.

      1. toast bread
      2. fry eggs
      3. mash avocado
      4. assemble

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  7. I am ashamed to admit I am not an avocado fan. But your presentation is perfectly lovely. I am sure the "very chic woman" would not be able to make it as nicely. But, I must be snarky for a moment, I always wonder when the "very chic women" rave about something, do they truly love it or do they just want to be seen loving it???(LOL)

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    1. LOL! Perhaps you're correct about those chic women. It's still a decent and healthy breakfast - unless, of course, you don't care for avocados!

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  8. I love eggs and love avocados and always have both at hand. I would never have thought of this, but we will love it, I am sure. And it looks beautiful! Thanks, Krista.

    Hugs.

    MJ

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  9. This looks delicious, I like your version better than the thought of the other version. Thank you for trying it out.

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