Avocado Toast with Foolproof Soft Boil Egg
I remember my seven year old self squabbling with my mother over what I'd eat for dinner. It was a sticky summer night, typical of Israel, we were on vacation visiting family, and all I wanted to eat was greasy, addicting fast food. Every. Night. Those burger and fries from Burger Ranch were the most exciting thing in my eyes, and though my mother justifiably disapproved, I knew I could harp on her weakness. If I begged enough, she always gave in, because that Jewish-mother-food-obsession gene is strong in her. She would go to great lengths to make sure I ate something, anything.
As such, I've never felt debilitating hunger. I've never worried about a bare fridge. I realize even more the blessing that is when I read that 1 in 7 Americans struggle with hunger. That's huge, and pitiful. So Whitney from JewHungry collaborated with Mazon and brought together bloggers to raise awareness. She challenged us to create a meal that costs less than $5 a serving. Avocado toast with some kind of egg was the first thing that came to mind.
Avocado toast has become such a thing in the breakfast world. I get why, and I'm a total fan. It's meat is soft and fatty, making an excellent blanket for a bare piece of toast. It's unequivocally nutritious, and relatively inexpensive given its main role in this dish. I added an egg, because protein is key for satiety. I also make a point to sprinkle chili flakes, generously. She brought it to my attention and it truly is a must. Overall, this combo is what I eat many mornings and it powers me through until the late afternoon. I could eat for any meal and every meal. At a meager $3 a serving, it's economical, quick, easy, delicious, and filling.
I usually fry my eggs but this time I attempted to go for the more delicate soft boiled egg. With a light prick of a fork, the silky, gentle flesh reveals the warm yolk. It pools all over the avocado mash and takes this whole situation up a notch. It took me a few attempts to get the right consistency. With the method below, I now get the perfect soft boil egg, every time. A noteworthy accomplishment given the amount of eggs I've used in the attempt.
Meanwhile, check what these bloggers came up with on such a tight budget:
The Perfect, Foolproof Soft Boil Egg
Fill a medium sized saucepan halfway with water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high. Carefully place each egg in the saucepan using a spoon, being careful not to drop it abruptly as it could crack the shell. Cook, uncovered, exactly 6 minutes. Set a timer, really. Once the timer goes off, drain the boiling water and run the eggs under cold water to stop the cooking process. Let cool and peel. You'll want to be extra gentle with these, as the skin punctures easily and you could end up with the yolk oozing out while you peel. We don't want such things to happen. Every bit of that luscious filling is golden.
Avocado Toast
2 slices of bread, toasted
1 avocado
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
salt and pepper
chopped parsley, for garnish
Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash the avocado thoroughly. I like mine a bit chunky, but you can continue mashing until you get a smooth texture that resembles guacamole. Spread all over the toast, making sure you're covering every edge. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and chili flakes. Top with the soft boil egg, a pinch of chopped parsley and enjoy your breakfast.
