A toast… to Spring!

Too much?

Okay okay, so I’ve been dreaming of these toasts for a while now. They’re basically open-faced sandwiches that are dainty enough for a “ladies brunch” situation but hearty enough for a real-deal lunch. The first toast is ghee sauteed radishes + almond ricotta + strawberries + sprouts + honey + lemon. And the second is cucumbers + dill + almond ricotta + sprouts + asparagus rosettes. Simple. Delicious. And, if you slice each of the toasts into quarters they make a fabulous appetizer set up!

If someone served these toasts up for an Easter brunch I would lose it.

The almond ricotta is a minor update on the ricotta in my grain free ravioli recipe. It’s slightly less salty / spicy than the original recipe, and it marries beautifully with crisp Springy vegetables. It’s mild, simple and just a touch sweet (almonds have some natural sweetness). Just like dairy-ricotta! Win.

If your not feeling 100% on the DIY train with the almond ricotta I encourage you to just look at these toasts as an outline of grander toasts to come in your future. You could use a store-bought dairy-free ricotta with the same results. I hear Kite Hill’s version is great, what do you think?

A note on the recipes: each toast recipe requires a full 1 1/4 cup of the ricotta and makes 4-5 slices of toast. So each toast recipe is enough for an appetizer spread, a big brunch / lunch for two or a little bit of sandwich meal prep (they stay good for a day in the fridge). If you want to make the full recipe for each toast you’ll need to double the ricotta recipe, ultimately.

Alright, catch you guys around. Eat some toast for me, will ya? Remember you can find me hanging around Instagram most days — enjoy!

Almond Ricotta Recipe

Author: Renee Byrd - Active prep time: 5 mins - Inactive prep time: 30 mins - Total time: 35 mins - Makes: ~ 1 1/4 cup ricotta

Notes: This ricotta recipe is so versatile! Use it as a sandwich spread, on pizza, pasta, or serve it with berries and honey.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 5-6 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste

• white pepper, to taste

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Set the almonds in a medium bowl. Cover with hot water and soak for minimum 30 minutes up to overnight. Once soaked, use your hands to slip the almond skins off of the blanched almonds. Discard skins.

2. Add everything to a blender: blanched almonds, olive oil, water, miso, white pepper, and apple cider vinegar. Blend until semi-smooth, like a rough paste. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Radish Toasts with Almond Ricotta

Author: Renee Byrd - Active prep time: 15 mins - Inactive prep time: 0mins - Total time: 15 mins - Makes: 4-5 toasts

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch radishes, sliced (~ 1 cup sliced)

• 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil + more for buttering toast

• 2 tbsp water or white wine

• sea salt + ground pepper to taste

• 4-5 slices bread, toasted (I used Simple Kneads gluten free bread)

• Almond Ricotta (~1 1/4 cups)

• 1 cup sprouts

• 1 cup sliced and hulled strawberries

• juice of a lemon

• drizzle olive oil

• 1 tbsp raw honey

• Optional: sliced asparagus, as an extra topping

Method:

1. To a saute pan set over medium high heat, add the sliced radishes, 1 tbsp ghee, water OR wine and cover -- cooking for 2-3 minute or until the liquid has cooked off. Remove the cover, flip all of the radishes over and cook 3-5 minutes longer, or until the radishes are browning. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Butter the toasted bread with ghee or coconut oil.

3. Top each slice of toast with almond ricotta, some cooked radishes, sprouts and strawberries. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over each toast, drizzle lightly with olive oil and then drizzle the toasts with a bit of honey. Optional: add sliced asparagus to the toasts as a final touch. Serve immediately or store in a covered container until ready to serve.

4. These make great little appetizers if you slice each toast into quarters. Enjoy!

Cucumber Toasts with Asparagus Rosettes

Author: Renee Byrd - Active prep time: 5 mins - Inactive prep time: 0mins - Total time: 5 mins - Makes: 4-5 toasts

Ingredients:

• 4-5 slices bread, toasted (I used Simple Kneads gluten free bread)

• ghee or coconut oil, for buttering toast

• Almond Ricotta (~1 1/4 cups)

• 1 cup sprouts

• 1 1/2 cups small Persian cucumbers, sliced

• 1 cup asparagus, thinly sliced into ribbons

• 1 lemon

• drizzle olive oil

• 1/4 tsp dried dill (or 1 tbsp fresh, chopped)

• Sea salt + ground pepper, to taste

• Red chili flakes, to taste

Method:

• Butter the toasted bread and spread equal amounts of almond ricotta over each slice. Add sprouts to each of the toasts, then sliced cucumbers. Curl the thinly sliced asparagus ribbons into rounds -- I do this by winding them around my finger and then tightening them up as best I can before adding to the toast. It's not an exact science. Add the asparagus curls to the toast — they stick better when added directly to the ricotta.

• Slice the lemon into 1/4 slices, then cut away the rind and segment the fruit — isolating it from the pith. Add the segments to the toasts (this really gives it a big bright flavor that I LOVE — but you could just squeeze the lemon juice over the toasts without all the bother).

• Drizzle olive oil over top and shake a bit of dill over each toast. Season with salt + pepper + red chili flakes. Serve immediately or store in a covered container until ready to serve.

• These make great little appetizers if you slice each toast into quarters. Enjoy!