We've been in New Zealand now for about two weeks, and it has been a wonderful adventure - with more still to come! It is a strikingly beautiful country along the coast and out in the countryside and I'm really excited to see more of that.We've had some really amazing meals, in the Auckland area and throughout our south island travels (more on all of that to come). But - when traveling for an extended period of time and being mainly at the mercy of dining out, the cost can start to add up - and NZ isn't cheap!Luckily, each hotel room we've stayed in has been equipped with a sink, basic cookware/dishes/utensils, 2-burner stove top, small fridge, toaster, electric kettle (one of my favorite appliances) and microwave/convection oven. So to be able to go to a local grocery store - which I happen to love doing in foreign countries anyway - and buy a few things to let us eat in for a few meals and snacks is a great cost-saving and healthy option.Exhibit A: Simple Smashed Avocado Toast (with some Mahala Red apple slices alongside)
It's as easy as can be to make this, and is great morning, noon or night. I need to also mention that New Zealand avocados are particularly delicious!!Recipe: Simple Smashed Avocado ToastEnough for a full meal for 2What You Need
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted and scooped into a bowl
- 1-2 scallion stalks, sliced thinly
- pinch of salt and ground pepper to taste
- 2-3 small vine tomatoes (or equivalent amount of a different tomato), sliced thinly
- Good bread of choice
What You Do
- Mash up the avocado with a fork to a still-chunky consistency
- Add the scallions, salt and pepper to avocado and mix/mash a bit more with the fork to combine
- Toast your bread - we used a fresh baguette this time
- Top the slices of bread with a scoop or two of the avocado mash, lay a couple of tomato slices on top of the avocado (or place the tomatoes on the toast first - whichever you prefer) and eat up! You can also sprinkle some sliced scallion on top of your compiled toast, if you like. Note in the photo above, we forgot to put the tomato... oops... so I can testify that it's delicious without the tomato, but I do prefer it with.
Note: You can definitely spruce this recipe up with additional seasonings and veggies, but the idea here is to keep it basic and simple for easy and quick cooking a la hotel room. Though I can guarantee it'll be just as tasty as is in the comfort of home as well :)See my next post for more on cooking while traveling!