I'd been seeing this item, avocado toast, on menus here and there ... once in Australia, and then another time not long after I arrived back in New York City. To me, it seemed like it could've been one of those oddball menu items, like shrimp toast. One day, I found myself in need of a light meal and faced with a solitary avocado.

Google told me that avocado toast wasn't quite as weird as shrimp toast, and more of exactly what you'd expect it to be: avocado smashed on a piece of toast. I clicked around until I found the common denominator among recipes and came up with one of my own, and was delighted with how easy and quick it was to make and how tasty it turned out.

Avocado Toast
1 avocado = 4 slices of toast

Ingredients
An avocado
4 slices of bread, toasted
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil, about a half tablespoon
Half a tomato, diced ... or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Chili pepper flakes or, my favorite, Trader Joe's South African Smoke seasoning blend

Instructions
In a bowl, mash the avocado into a paste and add tomato. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a small pan and add olive oil, then garlic. Keep garlic moving so it doesn't burn, and remove from heat when they are golden or beginning to turn brown. Add the olive oil and garlic mixture to the avocado, and mix well.

Spread avocado mixture equally among slices of toast, and sprinkle with chili pepper or smoke seasoning (for a more smoky, barbecue-like dimension). Eat and enjoy.