Avocado Toast with Mushroom “Bacon”

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The bacon avocado toast from Dunkin’ is actually pretty good, but the avocado, as with all avocado from fast food chains, it’s a. bit sour from the lemon juice that keeps it from browning. Nothing beats fresh avocado toast at home, no lemon juice needed as you’ll eat it up before it can even think about turning brown.

Better yet, my version features baby bella mushrooms instead of bacon. One 8-ounce carton of mushrooms was enough to make this for two breakfasts in a row. Much easier than thawing and cooking up an entire pack of bacon, and so much healthier. Best of all, no piggies were harmed in the making of this breakfast.

I’m not a vegan, and I do have real bacon sometimes. You can call me a blenditarian, someone who uses plant-based substitutes, especially mushrooms, to help limit my meat consumption. For now, this is what works for me, but I have great admiration for my friends who have already gone meat-free.

Whether you never eat pork or you just want to try something different, you’re going to love this breakfast.

Cooking Tips

It takes up to 30 minutes to cook mushrooms in such a way that they release moisture, shrink, and form crisp, caramelized edges. While it’s worth the wait, it’s not going to be a rush-out-the-door type of breakfast.

I used about half of my mushrooms for two slices, and then made the same breakfast the next morning. It only took a few minutes to re-crisp the mushrooms in my cast iron pan the next day. You can save cooked mushrooms in the fridge for up to three days, so you can always prep ahead.

When I made this with pre-sliced shiitake mushrooms, they seemed to cook up faster, and had more of a crisp to them. Next time, I might try slicing the mushrooms and placing them on a paper towel to help them dry before cooking. Or, pre-baking them on parchment paper might help.

Yield: 4 slices

Avocado Toast with Mushroom "Bacon"

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• 8 ounces baby bella or shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 avocado
• 4 thick slices bread, I used 3-day-old bread that I picked up freshly baked from the farmer's market the weekend before, sourdough would be extra tasty
• Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium-low heat.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms and cut into 1/4-inch strips or small pieces.
3. Toss mushrooms into pan in a single layer and let cook for ten minutes, do not flip, touch, or mess with them as they release moisture.
4. In a small bowl, combine oil, maple syrup, chili powder, and garlic salt.
5. Meanwhile, mash your avocado. Add a spritz of lemon juice, if desired.
6. Flip mushrooms. Depending on thickness, cook for up to 10 more minutes until they shrink, start to brown, and form crispy edges.
7. Brush with seasoning oil/syrup flavor sauce. Let cook for five minutes, toss more time. When they're done, they'll be deep brown in color, somewhat sticky and tender, and will have come to your desired level of crispiness. I like to cook them until they have that chewy-crisp texture of perfectly cooked bacon.
8. Push mushrooms to one side of the pan, add more olive oil to the other side, and cook your bread slices to toast one side. Or, toast your bread in a toaster oven or toaster.
9. Assemble! Spread avocado over toast, pile on the mushrooms, and season with Everything But The Bagel.
10. Take a picture so it lasts longer, then eat it up.

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