Anytime Avocado Toast

After the hustle and bustle of getting everyone out the door in the morning to their respective places, I often refill my coffee cup and wander outside to see what the animals are up to. I give the dogs a good ear scratch and fill the cat bowl with food. I check on my chickens, filling their water and offering any food scraps I collected from the morning. I’ll grab the eggs from the coop and move on to the garden. I planted greens, baby kale and sugar snap peas a few weeks ago and a few tender baby starts are making their way out of the ground.

My daughter talked us into getting two mini highland cows, which if you don’t know what I’m referencing, you should do a quick google image search. These cows are the equivalent of a golden doodle. They are about three feet tall with shaggy hair and a sweet face. They look like giant dogs roaming the pasture and we’re all completely smitten. Known for their friendliness, we’ve all taken turns offering them grass and apples to try and get acquainted with our new friends. They seem to be settling in well and amicably followed me along the fence line as I walked back up to the house.

Armed with a handful of fresh eggs, it's finally time to make breakfast for myself. I’ve been on an avocado toast kick lately and I figured I would share my super easy, delicious, protein-packed meal. I call this ‘anytime’ avocado toast because I make it as often for lunch or dinner these days as I do breakfast. This is a great, quick meal to throw together in a rush and my kids will gobble this up before heading out for long practices or games.

High quality ingredients are the secret to this simple recipe. Toast up your favorite bread. If I’ve got a loaf of sourdough at home, that’s always my preference but any sort of French baguette or hearty wheat toast is lovely too. Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese until frothy and combined and don’t forget to add a good pinch of salt and pepper for the eggs. In the summer, I’ll add a thick slice of a garden tomato to the toast but only if I have a ripe tomato straight from the garden. A fried or poached egg is always a lovely alternative and you could layer the cottage cheese over the avocado or skip it altogether. However you decide to make your ‘anytime’ avocado toast, I hope you get to enjoy it with a window or door cracked open and sunshine streaming in.

Anytime Avocado Toast

• Sourdough or French Bread

• 2 large eggs

• 2 heaping tablespoons cottage cheese

• 1 tablespoon butter

• !/2 avocado, sliced thin

• 1 teaspoon chives minced

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Lightly spray a small sauté pan with cooking spray. Melt half a tablespoon butter in the pan over low heat. While the butter melts, whisk the two eggs and cottage cheese together in a small bowl. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Pour the eggs into the pan once the butter has melted along with the minced chives. Use a spatula to gently stir the eggs until they are firm. Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the stove.

Toast a piece of bread and spread the remaining butter on the bread. Cut an avocado in half, removing the pit. Peel half the avocado and slice it thinly. Layer the avocado evenly on the toast and top with the cheesy scrambled eggs. Garnish with another light sprinkle of chives and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.