marinated tomato basil avocado toast

My absolute favorite post long-run meal, come to life on the Interwebs. *Sheds a tear.*

I tell no lie when I say that I ate tomato basil toast after every weekend long run. A total ritual: get my 6+ miler done (yep, called a 10k a long run back in the day, and I’ve kinda come full circle now since I rarely run above that length), make my Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Shake, shower, and sit down to my plate of toast. I back then had a basil plant named Bill, who provided me with the leaves I needed.

May his big, bountiful soul rest in peace. Sniff.

On paper, this recipe isn’t much, but it elicits nostalgia because I was so innocent to “proper” post-workout necessities and enjoyed those two little foods purely because I liked them. Sometimes, getting too deep into a thing, like running, can lead to a loss of the joy.

Definitely struggled with that through the years, in various ways and with various passions.

I’ll call this recipe a celebration of simplicity and a nod to the little happinesses we find in our everyday routines. This breakfast, snack, lunch isn’t difficult, and you’ve probably experienced many an avocado toast in your lifetime – but perhaps its ease will let you kick back and remember that life needn’t be so complicated all the time. Maybe you’ll think of something little that you love, too, a piece of your day that needs to be dusted off and put on the top shelf to be loved again.

It’s An Avocado!

THANKS!

This is a fast, no cook dish. All you need to is to grab a baguette, a couple nice avocados, and a big buncha tomatoes.

I mix up my marinated tomatoes pretty similarly each time around: good olive oil, fresh herbs, white balsamic vinegar (cider vinegar is good too), cracked black pepper, and sea salt. The perfect topper for all sorts of shit, from sandwiches to salads. And dudes, cherry tomatoes are just beautiful this year.

For the bread, I chose a demi-baguette, but any baguette or a ciabatta demi works just as well. I made four big toasts out of the amounts listed; you can even miniaturize the serving sizes into crostini if you’re feeding a crowd.

Brush the cut sides of the bread with a little olive oil and throw onto your grill or grill pan to char. You can broil them, too, if you prefer. I just love the crispy grate marks. Hits different in the summer.

Toast to the Toast

The best avocados for your toast are firm and bright, but not rock hard. You should be able to slice through them easily without the green shit smushing under the light pressure of your fingers.

Now, I like to make slices of my avocados, but mashing is perfectly acceptable too. Toss about 1/4 of the avocado onto each toast (or, if you use two total, half), then drizzle with those tomatoes. Go HAM with the ‘maters.

I finish my toasts off with lots of black pepper, flaky salt, and a couple more leaves of basil. Sometimes I chop them, sometimes I leave them whole, sometimes I forget them entirely because the marinade contains basil already, or I’m too lazy to go pluck a leaf off my plants.

These toasties are a lovely light brunch, lunch, or a casual I’m-not-feelin’-it dinner. Naturally, when I have pickled onions around, they go onto the breads. Sometimes I’ll add some tofu bacon or a fried/hard boiled egg for a little protein.

Let these breads be your canvas to the perfect avocado toast experience. I smile every time I remember my little corner chair in the bedroom, my melamine marble plate, and a couple slices of bread that made me happier than almost anything on Saturday mornings.

Yeah, hold those little moments tight.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

More avocado for ye:

Grilled White Wine Caprese Avocado Sandwiches

Avocado Toast Dutch Baby

Roasted Garlic Whipped Ricotta Toasts with Avocado and Herbs

Quinoa Avocado Caesar Salad Wraps