Cooking as a Cure: Strawberry, Avocado, Goat Cheese Toast

Yesterday I took the plunge and dyed my hair completely blonde. Well, my amazing hairdresser did the actual hard labor, and I owe her a big plug...so if you like my hair now or have in the past, ask for Bryn at Salon Eden in Bayshore. This is something that I decided I wanted to do a few months ago, adding it to my bucket list. I have had almost every shade or hue of brown, black and red but never blonde. I even made an attempt to dye my hair purple (that is what college is for, isn't it?) and got a perm after a bad break up, but I have always been too scared to go light.

I pride myself in being pretty low key about my looks, especially my hair. I like to think that I have the confidence to pull off any look because as long as you think you can, you will find a way to make it work. I left the salon today loving my hair and feeling daring, but as I got home my anxiety started to creep up. I wondered if I looked silly or fake or if my friends and boyfriend would like it. I hadn't eaten much since my hair took almost three and a half hours to complete and the anxiety caused my chest to feel so tight that I couldn't even tell if I was hungry. But I needed to cook. I knew the familiar motions in the kitchen would normalize me. I decided to make an open faced sandwich that I had found on pinterest and wanted to try. There was no recipe attached to the amazing picture of toast with avocado, strawberry and goat cheese since it was linked to a food photography Web site, so I made it up as I went.

Sure enough, I cooked, ate and felt better. I looked in the mirror and found my confidence and fell in love with my hair. So now I have a new look to sport in the kitchen while I kick ass. Here is my recipe for this simple, decadent toast. It made for a great pick me up and might even work as a great appetizer or dessert.

Strawberry, Avocado and Goat Cheese Toast

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 Hass Avocado, mashed
- 8 Strawberries, sliced
- 2-4  tablespoons of honey goat cheese (Trader Joe's)
- 2 slices original Ezekiel bread
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Slice and remove pit of the avocado and then remove the skin. Put the avocado in a bowl and mash it, like you are making guacamole. Add a touch of salt.

2. Slice 8 strawberries into thin, long pieces.

3. Coat one side of each piece of Ezekiel bread with olive oil. On the other side spread a layer of the avocado. Put half of the strawberries on each piece of bread.

4. Slice 2-4 tablespoons of the honey goat cheese and split between the two pieces of bread, spreading it on top of the layer of strawberries.

5. Heat a frying pan on medium for 5 minutes, place toasts in pan and cover with top. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the top layer of goat cheese is warm and slightly creamier than usual. Season with salt and pepper. Then you're ready to enjoy!

Makes 2 servings