It’s a fresh, new year and I am so excited to get back into healthy eating and exercise again. Don’t get me wrong, I love cozy, rich, yummy holiday food, but it feels good to get all those vitamins and nutrients back in my body. Here is one of my favorite snacks or light lunches, using a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Vegetarian, anti-inflammatory, low fat, heart healthy

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 slices of wheat bread
• Hummus (You can use store-bought or make our recipe!
• 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
• 2 slices of a large beefsteak tomato, or a few slices of a smaller tomato
• Garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil (Tip: If you don’t have any available, you can drizzle a good amount of regular olive olive oil in a pan, and cook thin slices of garlic in it on low until golden brown. This will infuse the olive oil. You can also use the crispy garlic as a garnish later.)
• Pepper
• Garlic slices, toasted (optional)
• Cilantro leaves (optional)

Steps

1. Cut the wheat bread into a circular shape using a cookie cutter or other kitchen tool, about 3 1/2″ in diameter. Brush some olive oil on both sides of the bread and toast until golden brown and crisp. Set aside.
2. Set broiler to high and roast tomato slices for a few minutes until softened and edges start to brown. Keep a close watch!
3. Stack by starting with the toast on the bottom and spreading a generous amount of hummus on top. Sprinkle with a bit of pepper. Then, top with avocado slices. Sprinkle with a bit of pepper. Finally, top with roasted tomato. Garnish with a drizzle of garlic olive oil and pepper (If you have toasted garlic slices from earlier, put those on top as well, with some cilantro if you wish.) Enjoy!