Bored With Avocado Toast? New Alternatives to Everybody’s Favorite Snack

No matter how you slice it, our avocado toast obsession is bordering on shameful. The healthy yet indulgent snack has fans in Gigi and Gwyneth, and it has achieved near-celebrity status in its own right. More than 155,000 photos on Instagram bear the #AvocadoToast stamp, and Etsy is home to a thriving Avocado Toast T-shirt market. The words have even become a colloquialism for universal popularity—I recently attended an illusion show and learned that renewed interest in the Rubik’s Cube makes it “the avocado toast of magic.”

As for the snack itself—mashed avocado slathered on a slice of thick, grainy toast—it’s nutrient packed and frighteningly delicious (no wonder it has edged out the quinoa and kale salad crazes). Long a staple of Australian cuisine, avocado toast’s first sighting on a menu was reportedly  in 1993 at a Sydney café called Bills. Nolita’s Cafe Gitane put avocado toast on its menu 10 years ago, and now the green treat is available just about anywhere, including McDonald’s Japan.

As somebody who has nothing but nice things to say about carbs and who found herself one recent Saturday distractedly dipping sliced avocado into a bowl of guacamole, I can only admit to loving the snack. But our dependence at this point is slightly embarrassing and potentially dangerous: Avocado shortages in New Zealand are fueling a crime wave. It might be time to move on, at least temporarily. So Vogue asked two chefs known for healthy yet not abstemious cuisine to look into their crystal balls and conceive the avocado toast of the future.

 

Fresh Figs and Cashew Ricotta Toast

Richard Rea, chef de cuisine at The Butcher’s Daughter, Venice, California

“Avocado toast is simplicity at its best, and our version”—which has curry, jalapeños, and mustard seed—“outsells every other item on the menu by the triple,” says Rea. He plans on putting a new toast on the menu next week: fresh figs over house-made cashew ricotta. “Like avocado toast, it’s delicious and you don’t feel like a fatty after you eat it,” he says. “With really good figs about to be in season, that’s the next trend we could see in our restaurant.”

Recipe:
1. Make cashew ricotta: Soak raw cashews in water for half an hour. Transfer to blender or food processor and mix until rich and smooth in consistency (adding water if needed). Add salt and lemon juice to taste.
2. Spread ricotta on toast. Layer fresh sliced figs, mint, and Thai basil. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or honey.

 

Rutabaga Toast

Richard Landau, co-owner and chef of Vedge, Philadelphia

“I don’t understand the cult of avocado toast,” says Landau, one of Philadelphia’s most exciting chefs. “I guess avocado is better than butter, and it definitely gives you a beautiful green canvas, but it’s not the most imaginative thing I have ever heard of. We don’t like to follow trends; we like to start them.” Enter the overlooked rutabaga. When prepared properly, the root vegetable has the creaminess of avocado and the luxurious mouth feel of melted cheese. The restaurant’s best-seller is rutabaga fondue—and its rutabaga Welsh rarebit is in the top three. “We’re still waiting for it to become the next It vegetable,” he says.

Recipe:
1. Peel, chop, and boil a rutabaga until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Remove from water and transfer to a blender with a little cooking water. Add nutritional yeast flakes, mustard, and olive oil or vegan mayo to taste.
3. Spread on toast and bake until bubbly.

 

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