Avocado – the toast topping du jour – was officially the most pinned foodstuff on Pinterest last year and amazingly our love for the squidgy green stuff shows no sign of slowing down. Brunch menus are awash with the stuff, our Insta’s are sick of the sight of it and don’t even get us started on Nigella mushing it up on some toast and pretending it’s an actual recipe. Enough is enough: it’s time to make a stand. We want other stuff on our toast, and we want it now. And we want it to be healthy. Try these for size...
1. Almond butter and apple
Yes, almond butter seems kind of expensive – it’s about £3 for a small jar – but wait, that’s the price of two and a quarter avocados. Puts it in perspective, right? If you want, you can make your own almond butter like some kind of eat clean fanatic, but really it’s probably actually cheaper to just get the jar. Meridian’s is nice and is 100% nuts, no nasty palm oil. Spread it on and slice some apple on top. Voila.
2. Pea, mint and feta
You get this a lot as a starter on restaurant menus in spring/summer, but why wait? Get out a handful of frozen petit pois and nuke them for a minute, then squish them up in a bowl with some fresh mint and a teeny bit of feta. It’s so good and definitely very healthy. Oh, and sugar free for anyone on that latest bandwagon.
3. Skyr and grilled peaches
Skyr (pronounced ske-eer) is an Icelandic style of yoghurt that is low sugar, high protein and not weird tasting at all. It’s just like an especially thick, super creamy, natural yoghurt that is a bit better for you. It’s almost like a cream cheese but not. Anyway, I like it spread on toast and topped with grilled peaches. Or figs, or raspberries, or whatever you like.
4. Tomatoes
Let’s just have a minute to think about tomatoes, shall we? I feel like they’ve really taken the brunt of it with all this avocado craziness, and we’re not appreciating their rich, sweet, Mediterranean goodness as we used to do. It needs fixing, so I suggest we all start putting them back on our toast. Roast them down with some olive oil, garlic and basil, or even have them sliced up raw with the same combo for a decent bruschetta. They’re a vitamin A and C powerhouse, plus they’re one of the only things to carry possibly cancer fighting lycopene in high quantities – and the tinned ones are even better.
5. Tahini and banana
Tahini is a yummy spreadable paste made from sesame seeds and if you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out. It’s one of the most versatile ingredients you could hope to have in your cupboard (think salad dressings, smoothies, baking) but it’s perfect just whacked on a slice of toast. High in good fats, this is a great alternative to peanut butters and the like, and it goes particularly nicely with banana. I sprinkled some extra sesame seeds (black ones) over mine for crunch but no pressure.
**Like this? You might also be interested in: **
Fairy Bread Is A Thing On The Internet And It Looks Pretty Gross
Follow Jo on Twitter @JoEatsLondon
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.