SERVES 1

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOK TIME: 10 minutes

On a recent cross-country trip, driving from our hometown of Calgary, Alberta, in Canada to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the U.S., I discovered a new thing: avocado sandwiches. Our food budget was tight, so eating breakfast at grungy diners was the way to go. Grungy diners don’t always have the best keto options on the menu, but you can just about bet that they have bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and, if you’re lucky, a little avocado. In our case, we lucked out every time. Instead of packing all the ingredients inside a lettuce wrap, I tried something different, and it stuck. Welcome, avocado sandwich! What will you put in yours? This is my favorite, and the simplest, combination.

Pressed for time in the morning? I like to precook bacon on Sundays so I have lots to use in recipes like this during the week.

Sick and tired of mayonnaise? It happens. This sandwich is also really good with Green Speckled Dressing (here) or Quick ’n’ Easy Barbecue Sauce (here).

1 medium Hass avocado, peeled and pitted (about 4 oz/110 g of flesh)

1 lettuce leaf, torn in half

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 strips bacon (about 2 oz/55 g), cooked until crispy

1 red onion ring

1 tomato slice

Pinch of finely ground sea salt

Pinch of ground black pepper

Pinch of sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

1. Cook the bacon in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the avocado halves cut side up on a plate.
3. Lay the lettuce pieces on top of one of the avocado halves, then slather the mayonnaise on the lettuce. Top the lettuce with the bacon, onion, and tomato, then sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
4. Cover the stack with the other avocado half and sprinkle with the seeds, if using. Enjoy immediately!

MAKE IT AT HOME

Replace store-bought mayonnaise with my homemade version.

make it EGG-FREE:

Use egg-free mayonnaise .

make it NIGHTSHADE-FREE:

Omit the tomato.

make it VEGAN/VEGETARIAN:

Omit the bacon. For vegan, also use egg-free mayonnaise .

Per serving, made with homemade mayonnaise, with sesame seeds:

calories: 545 | calories from fat: 391 | total fat: 43.4 g | saturated fat: 11.2 g | cholesterol: 60 mg

sodium: 1407 mg | carbs: 19.8 g | dietary fiber: 8.8 g | net carbs: 11 g | sugars: 7.8 g | protein: 18.9 g

FAT : 72%
CARBS : 14%
PROTEIN : 14%