Forget Toast. Serve Your Breakfast On This To Start Your Day The Right Way

Around the world, toast has earned its place on breakfast tables, whether it's to soak up the tomato sauce in baked beans or as a sturdy base for eggs and ham. Sometimes, though, what your tastebuds need is something a little out of the ordinary. For a toast replacement that makes an impression when placed on the breakfast table, opt for some breakfast tostadas.

Tostadas are flat and round, fried or baked corn tortilla bases that are eaten in various forms, usually with shredded, chopped, and crumbled ingredients. Tostadas are one of Mexico's street food specials beloved by foodies for a reason. The crunchy corn snacks are classics that can be enjoyed throughout the day, but at breakfast, they can be relied on for a slightly nutty corn taste paired with savory or sweet foods. The corn tostadas can vary in size from smaller versions to larger versions. It is also possible to buy the crunchy corn base packaged in supermarkets, or to make your own from leftover or stale tortillas by frying or baking them briefly to provide a crispier taco shell texture. The best thing about opting for tostadas is that they are a relatively low-effort addition, much like toast. Whether you load up your store-bought tostada or choose to cook them for some warmth, it is a simple and quick process to customize the meal exactly how you like it.

One of the most common ways to work with a tostada for your first meal of the day is to stack it up with all sorts of toppings — it does seem a little bit like one big flat taco, after all. The trick to building a tostada stack is treat the balance the way you would an open breakfast sandwich. For ease when you bite into the tostada, aim for a balance of cooked and raw foods, spreads, shredded toppings, and garnishes. A few toppings worth adding include avocado, refried beans, salsa, shredded cabbage or lettuce, cilantro, chopped meat, and eggs. Don't forget the cheese on top for a truly savory flavor boost. 

You can also make these tostadas sweeter by adding fruits. Topping the tostada with fresh fruit — almost as you would with a pancake — adds in a balance of earthiness from the corn shell and juiciness from fruits such as dragonfruit, berries, grapes, pomegranate, or kiwi. Adding a spread like cream cheese, ricotta (with some added cinnamon and brown sugar spice), or chocolate hummus can add in a creaminess that brings the fruity tostada together.

Chomping on a breakfast tostada can be messy, that's inevitable. To avoid breaking your tostada before you've had your first bite, try holding it with two hands and tilting it slightly to the side with the plate beneath your hands, so any mess falls directly where it can be scooped up and reintroduced afterwards.