Super-toast lovers, hands up.
Mine are both up.
We belong to the toasted-bagel club: golden, crisp, and absolutely no soft, untoasted slices.
If I walk up to a beautiful breakfast spread — a full bagel bar with dozens of cream cheese flavors, toppings, fruits, nut butters and vegetables — and there’s no toaster?
No thanks. I’ll pass.
I simply can’t do untoasted bagels. Why are they even a thing?
A few weeks ago I had a massive craving for smoked salmon — lox — on something crunchy. The only crunchy option in the house was a stack of seedy crackers, so I made a snack plate: cream cheese on crackers topped with avocado, smoked salmon, salt, pepper and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
It was life-changing. It’s filling yet light — a perfect lunch, snack, breakfast, or any-time treat.
I even wanted it for dessert one night.
If that sounds like my taste buds have shifted, well — maybe they have. Lately I keep choosing savory over sweet and surprising myself.
This roasted veggie cream cheese is everything. I rarely reach for the store-bought veggie cream cheeses because they often include textures I don’t love — carrots or raw celery, for example — which I avoid. But this homemade version skips those and focuses on sweet, roasted peppers and onions with garlic.
Dice the peppers and onions, toss with olive oil and garlic, roast until caramelized and slightly charred. Those caramelized vegetables are juicy, naturally sweet and packed with flavor.
Mix the roasted veggies with softened cream cheese and thinly sliced scallions. I prefer keeping the chunks rather than pureeing everything — it adds great texture — and the spread keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Then I added two touches that elevated the whole thing: thinly sliced, heavily seasoned avocado, and toasted sesame cucumber ribbons. The avocado gets a spritz of lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper; the cucumbers get tossed with toasted sesame oil and seeds. The result is bright, creamy and toasty-crisp all at once.
The combination of silky smoked salmon, the savory roasted-vegetable cream cheese, lemony avocado and sesame cucumbers makes a perfect, layered bagel experience.
My Favorite Lox Bagel with Homemade Roasted Veggie Cream Cheese
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Ingredients
Roasted Veggie Cream Cheese
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
Lox Bagel
- 1 sesame bagel, toasted
- 1/4 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds,
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 2 to 4 ounces smoked salmon
Instructions
Roasted Veggie Cream Cheese
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss the chopped peppers and red onion with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast 15–20 minutes, tossing once, until the vegetables are caramelized and sweet with a little char.
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Place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and sliced scallions, then mix until combined. You can pulse everything in a food processor if you prefer a smoother spread, but I like the bite from the chunks. Store in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks.
Lox Bagel
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Toast the sesame bagel. Spread it with the roasted veggie cream cheese. Toss the cucumber slices with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. Spritz avocado slices with lemon and season with salt and pepper. Layer cucumbers, avocado and smoked salmon on top of the bagel and enjoy.
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