This is a fairly simple recipe to make roasted tomato avocado toast with some hidden ingredients that really bring out both the flavors of the tomato and avocado but help balance them very well. This is a recipe for a snack that I make all the time at any hour of the day. It is a very versatile food that even I sometimes will mix and match the ingredients based on my mood or if it is for breakfast or in the afternoon. All one needs to be able to do to accomplish the task is be able to work an oven and know the basic precautions that go along with using one and some simple knife skills. From start to finish it should take no longer than 25 minutes I often have a delicious snack in less than 20. After trying this for the first time you will be hooked. For all the avocado and tomato lovers this one is for you!

Step 1: Ingredients and Utensils

Kitchen Supplies

Cutting Board
Knife
Mixing Bowl
Fork
Oven
Toaster
Baking Sheet
Non-stick Spray
Oven Mitt

Fresh Ingredients

1 Tomato
2 Avocados
Juice from 1 Lime
Cilantro

Bakery

4 Slices of Favorite Bread

Oils and Vinegars

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Spices and Seasonings

Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Red Pepper

Step 2: Prepare the Tomatoes

1. Pre heat oven to roughly 375 degree as shown in the first image.

Tip: One of the biggest time savers when it comes to cooking is making sure preheating the oven is your first step. So when you are finished preparing the food to go into the oven you do not have to wait for it to get hot.

2. Slice your tomato.

I slice the tomato length wise about a quarter of an inch thick so that while roasting it will keep its structure and one full piece is enough to cover an entire piece of toast. How it is done is completely preference though.

How I sliced the tomato is shown in figure 2.

3. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Figure 3.

4. Place tomato slices on baking sheet for roasting.

Tip: The tomatoes should not be overcrowding the baking sheet or touching. Make sure each tomato has its own space to roast thoroughly.

An example of how the tomatoes should be space is in figure 4.

5. Season the tomatoes.

Here is where we add our spices. The salt is good enough seasoning on its own to bring out the flavors of the tomato but those who are more daring add the onion and garlic powder to your liking. These flavors go great with the avocado.

Caution: My favorite spice added is the cayenne pepper. I like to have a little kick in my food but those who are sensitive to spicy food beware that cayenne is HOT.

6. Drizzle with olive oil.

Tomatoes ready for the oven are shown in figure 5.

7. Put baking sheet in the oven to let the tomatoes roast. It will take about 15 minutes.

Warning: The oven will be very hot and could cause serious burn. Do not touch any part of the inside of the stove.

Step 3: Prepare the Avocado

1. Cut open the avocado.

Tip: the easiest way I have found to cut open an avocado is poke a knife into the avocado until you feel the pitt. Then drag your knife around the whole avocado tracing the pitt. Twist and pull and the avocado should be open.

Caution: Always be alert when around knives one could slip an accidents happen. Be careful not to cut yourself.

A cut open avocado is shown in figure 1.

2. Remove the pit of the avocado.

I did this with just my fork.

Caution: The pitt can be pretty snug sometimes so work around it and be gentle you don't want a pitt flying through the air!

3. Place the flesh of the avocado in a bowl.

Simply take the same fork and remove the flesh from the skin and dump it in a bowl if it doesn't come out on its own.

4. Add the lime juice to the avocados.

If fresh limes are not available at your local grocery store lime juice from the bottle is fine to. The lime just adds another element of flavor to the dish.

Tip: Limes also help avocados stay fresh and keep their green color so if you ever want to keep some of the leftover avocado mash add plenty of lime juice!

5. With a fork, mash the avocados in the bowl until it reaches a desired constancy.

Your avocados are ready when they look like figure 2.

Step 4: Prepare Base and Garnish

Our base for this snack is of course the bread I chose whole grain but any bread will work.

The only garnish in need of preparation for this dish is the cilantro.

1. Toast the bread.

Tip: Toasting can be done in an oven however for simplicity I used a toaster as shown in figure 1.

The bread can be toasted to any desire but I think a golden brown coloring as shown in figure 2 gives the bread a perfect toasted crunch without any charred burnt flavors.

2. Roughly chop the cilantro.

In figures 3 and 4 I have compared before and after photos to show what rough chop means. The leaves are still mostly intact there are some large pieces along with finer pieces the chop is to break down the herb into bite size pretty pieces not to pulverize it.

Caution: When using a knife to chop something like cilantro your fingers a very close to the blade go slow if new to this process as knives are very sharp and if you get to close or are moving to fast you may cut yourself.

Step 5: Remove Tomatoes From Oven

1. When the tomatoes look as the do in figure 1 and 2, using an oven mitt, turn off the oven.

Danger: Do not forget to do this especially if using a gas oven. Gas leaks can be deadly.

2. Remove baking sheet with tomatoes from oven.

Warning: Just like when the tomatoes were added to the oven it will be hot and so will the baking sheet. Carefully and slowly remove tray with oven kit not touching anything with bare skin.

Warning: Because the tomatoes have been drizzled with olive oil it could be splattering slightly make sure skin is covered an no children or pets are around where they could potentially be splashed by the hot oil.

2. Let tomatoes rest.

This is not a long step but let the tomatoes cool down slightly before assembling to make sure no one gets burnt.

Step 6: Assemble the Toast

1. Add your avocado spread.

I like a lot of avocado and you have prepared enough to cover each piece of toast with about a fourth of an inch of avocado, so I say help yourself!

2. Add the roasted tomatoes.

They may still be hot so proceed with caution.

On my toast I am a big fan of tomato but it a lot of tomato is overwhelming to you feel free to cut down how much tomato is used. Cutting the tomato into smaller pieces and only using half or less is fine too.

3. Sprinkle with cilantro and red pepper flakes.

Tip: Cilantro has a great citrusy flavor which is why it is used in many salsas it go great with fresh food like these I challenge you to add cilantro to some other everyday foods to bring a different style of flavor to what you are eating.

Caution: Just like the cayenne the red pepper flakes are completely optional and spicy! I you are unsure if you like the added heat I would try a couple sprinkles on one bite first without putting them all over the toast.

4. Dress your toast with a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Go light on the oils as avocados already have a lot of fat in them these oils just enhance the flavors not much is needed to accomplish this.

Step 7: Enjoy!

You now have in front of you my favorite version of roasted tomato avocado toast. It is a light healthy way to start your day or the perfect pick-me-up snack for afternoon. The toast should be crunchy, the avocado smooth, and there will be tangy bites from the tomato, balsamic, and spices. I hope you enjoyed this dish as much as I do but I would love to see how you got creative! Throw an egg on there around breakfast time or switch the cilantro for basil and add a little mozzarella. The fun part about recipes is you have the opportunity to make them all your own. Try different versions, remember there really is no messing up this dish!. I say the best way to prevent any problems would be to go lighter on the seasoning until you get a feel for what you like and don't drown the toast in balsamic. Besides that have fun with it and savor every bite because it is gone before you know it!