So, in case you missed it, ricotta toast occupied the auspicious title of “the new avocado toast” for like 7 seconds on TikTok. Accordingly, I had to jump on the bandwagon, while also throwing my hat in the ring for the best avocado toast of all time. This resulted in my development of what I call my “Safety Foods”–3 toast recipes that I turn to when I’m feeling tired, hungry, and a little insecure (basically my state of being at all times?): Kimchi Avocado Toast, Peach Ricotta Toast, and Mushroom Ricotta Toast.
Kimchi Avocado Toast
All right, let’s start with the recipe I’ve made most often: Kimchi Avocado Toast. I’m not lying when I say that I eat this about 3 to 4 times a week. Why? Because it’s so darn delicious and so easy to make. Here’s the trick to making this incredibly flavorful: raw garlic. YUP.
I’ve always seen chefs use this trick with their toast or bruschetta in the past, but I never believed it actually worked. Well, shame on me, because it is the best thing to happen to sliced bread since peanut butter. Once you toast your bread (and you do need to toast your bread for this to work), take a clove of raw garlic and simply rub it across your toast. The texture of the toast will essentially scrape the garlic, so that it’s pasted onto the bread, leaving behind the most intense garlic flavor.
Now to punch this up even further in the flavor department, I also added some sauteed shallots. This adds a delightful crunch to the top of your toast.
And of course, the kimchi. I added kimchi because I could think of nothing more delicious and enticing to me than kimchi to this toast. Kimchi, to me, is something I turn to whenever I’m hungry or tired because I know it will instantly satisfy any cravings for flavor. When combined with the garlic and a good avocado, this flavor combination is hard to beat. Which is why I eat this toast so often! Just a couple of tips, though, when adding the kimchi:
- I would cut the kimchi up into bite sized pieces so that you don’t have a hard (frustrating) time actually eating the toast.
- I prefer using the softer leafier parts of the kimchi for this, again, because it makes eating the toast a little easier.
- Don’t be shy about drizzling a bit of kimchi juice over your toast to boost that probiotic flavor!
Peach Ricotta Toast
So, yes, everyone was making ricotta toast for a second on TikTok. And, as I mentioned, I was determined to contribute my own to the trend. I was inspired by the mountains peaches that greeted me every time I walked into my grocery store. Here, I used white peaches because they impart less acid and more sweetness, but regular old yellow peaches would be delicious too!
Vegan ricotta cheese? Yes, it exists. And it is quite good. I’d actually never used Kite Hill’s rendition of this iconically crumbly cheese before, but was pleasantly surprised by how perfectly it imitated the texture and tangy flavor. It spread gloriously onto my toast and served as the perfect bed for my peaches.
Finally, the finishing touches to this lovely summer toast recipe include my vegan rice paper bacon (to add some salt and heat), touches of fresh mint, and a drizzle of brown rice syrup (which, in addition to adding a bit more sweetness, also helps everything to adhere).
A few quick tips on preparing this peach ricotta toast:
- Make sure to use good peaches!! Honestly, this recipe won’t work well in the middle of winter when peaches aren’t in season.
- Layering different flavors–like the savory rice paper bacon and the fresh mint–will take an otherwise one-note recipe and turn it into a flavor explosion!
- If you don’t have brown rice syrup, you can substitute in maple or agave syrup! You just want something sticky that will help bind all your toppings.
Mushroom Ricotta Toast
I saved this toast recipe for last because it can definitely serve as a small meal as opposed to merely a snack. It’s hearty, delicious, and, like the other two toasts, full of flavor. The idea here was to make something that took the “toast” and turned it into something that was decadent, indulgent, and “meaty” (in a very vegan sort of way), without actually adding any meat (or meat subs).
Here, I used enoki mushrooms. But you can use whatever kind of mushrooms you like. I cooked them with some shallots, garlic, and olive oil until they started to turn nice and brown. I then added some soy sauce and mushroom broth to really punch up the flavor profile here–I wanted it to be savory, but undeniably mushroom-y. Like, I wanted the person biting into this toast to be like, “WHOA THAT’S SHROOMTASTIC!!”
I add chives at the very end, along with a drizzle of more olive oil and black pepper to give the entire thing a bit of extra oomph and color. Overall, this is an incredibly delicious toast recipe that you’ll want to make over and over!
Avocado Kimchi Toast
Equipment
- toaster
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot
- 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 slice bread
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 pinch salt
- cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegan kimchi
Instructions
- Slice the shallot into thin pieces. Add the oil to a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and when it begins to shimmer (about 1 minute), add the sliced shallots. Cook until they start to brown (around 2 minutes). Set aside.
- Toast your bread. Then take the clove of garlic and press it gently into the bread and spread it over your toast (it actually works!).
- Slice your avocado into very thin slices and fan them across your toast. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top the avocado with kimchi and garnish with shallots.
Nutrition
Mushroom Ricotta Toast
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup assorted mushrooms chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mushroom broth
- 1 slice bread toasted
- 1 tbsp vegan ricotta cheese
- chives for garnish
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a medium sized pan over medium-high heat. When the oil gets hot, add the shallot and garlic. Cook the shallot and garlic until the edges turn brown, around 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to turn brown, around 7 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with soy sauce and cook for about 1 minute. Next, add the mushroom broth and allow the mushrooms to cook until they are dark brown and the liquid has completely evaporated, around 1 minute.
- Spread the vegan ricotta on the toast and spoon the mushroom mixture over the top.
- Sprinkle with chives, cracked black pepper, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.