Recipe Smoked salmon and cream cheese spread bagel bites

[JAS_OH1]

This is a regular feature at my house and DH really loves them! We have always adored bagels in my house, and for years I would put cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, and shallot (or red onion) on a toasted bagel, only to have the capers roll off or the diced shallots spill out on the plate while eating. Finally I figured out that I could mix the ingredients together into a spread to eliminate that problem, and eventually the fresh avocado topping (and everything bagel seasoning) worked it's way into the formula. It's super easy to make the spread, and it cuts down on breakfast preparation time to have the spread already made in the refrigerator to just give a quick heat in the microwave (if you have one) and assemble (the spread is fine cold, though). These bites would be a treat as an appetizer as well, and for those who are watching carbs, whole grain crackers or melba toast could be used instead of bagels. Enjoy!

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 8-oz piece of smoked salmon, skin removed (I used hot smoked but lox would work fine here)
2 TBSP diced shallot (more or less according to preference)
2 TBSP capers, including a little of the liquid
Bagel halves (amount depends on how much you are serving)
Avocado slivers (amount needed depends on how many bites you are making)
Everything bagel seasoning for final garnish

Preparation method:
Place all of the ingredients into an appropriately sized bowl and mix together. I prefer a rough mix so that each bite has a pop of flavor from the individual ingredients.

Cut the bagel halves (I used everything bagels) into bite sized pieces and toast them in the oven on a baking sheet (I have a countertop toaster oven that works well for this). Remove and spread the mixture on the bagels and top with avocado slivers, then sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Serve and enjoy!