The BAT (Bacon, Avocado, Tomato) Toast

The BAT (Bacon, Avocado, Tomato) Toast

Looking for a healthy green that isn’t a leaf?  Look no further than the holy avocado.  Growing up in Southern California, I was surrounded by avocados.  In fact, my favorite climbing trees were the avocado trees in my backyard .  We had groves of avocado trees.  They make the perfect climbing tree since the trunks are large and branch out into huge limbs, but they can be quite tall.  I admit I was the scaredey cat of my siblings.  My twin brother and older sister would climb much higher than I ever dared which most likely explains the origins of my fear of heights.  And in the summer harvest seasons, we’d gather up ripe avocados and sell them around the neighborhood.  Needless to say we ate a lot of avocados.  I kills me to pay more than a dollar for an avocado, thinking back on all the avocados that went uneaten at the base of our avocado trees.

One of my family’s favorite Sunday afternoon meals was the BLT loaded with salty bacon, juicy tomato, crisp lettuce and buttery mayonnaise on whole wheat bread.  As we got older and more adventurous in our taste preferences we’d add the lovely avocado slices.  Of course, over the years I’ve come to appreciate the smooth, creamy texture of avocados in guacamole, adding them to salads and smoothies and on top of soups, enchiladas and casseroles.  You might even try my Chocolate Avocado Mousse -such a unique creamy dessert.  And as you’re probably aware, avocados are loaded with heart-healthy fat, so eating a quarter of an avocado may seem excessive, but it makes your heart very happy!

I love this new venture in avocado eating:  introducing the BAT (Bacon, Avocado, Tomato) Toast.  It’s a quick snack, breakfast or lunch idea when you’re hankering for the traditional BLT sandwich but don’t want all the bread and have too many avocados you need to eat up.  You might think this looks like a lot of avocado.  It’s about a quarter of an avocado per bread slice.  It’s about two slices of center-cut (lower in fat) bacon per bread slice.  You can add more protein with turkey or chicken slices but with the added tomatoes and red onion, it amounts to quite the mouthful.  A word about the bread.   I’m such a fan of Dave’s Killer Breads.  And even though I don’t eat much bread, when I do, it’s always Dave’s.  I appreciate the amazing fiber content from whole grains, nuts and seeds.  It’s chewy, but not dry.  Dave’s story is amazing if you haven’t read about it.

You don’t have to live in Southern Cal to enjoy the abundance of avocados in your grocery store produce aisles.  Choose an avocado that is not mushy, but firm to the touch and allow to ripen on your kitchen counter.  The California Avocado Commission answers any question you might have about avocados, including how to buy, ripen, cut, store and use them.  There are tons of great recipes as well.