Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I haven't blogged since Sept 2nd and I haven't made a CEiMB recipe since Aug 27th...what is going on??? Football season!

I'm used to having LSU games take up my Saturdays, but I am not used to NFL football game days! Now that I'm the Saintsation choreographer and the season is in full swing, my Tuesdays are filled with practices, Thursdays occasional games or practices, and Sundays more games! If I wasn't a Saints fan before now (and I'll admit, I wasn't), I will be by the end of the season!

Needless to say, not a lot of cooking has been going on in my house! But I haven't been eating out either. Every week I make sure that I have the ingredients for "assembling" things...eggs, veggies, chicken, turkey, and cheese have been turned into salads, omelets, and sandwiches.

It just so happened that the recipe chosen by Lethally Delicious for this week was a sandwich...something my crazy schedule could handle! And who can resist a grilled cheese?

This is not your typical grilled cheese sandwich...a mix of cheddar and pepper jack cheeses are topped with sauteed red onions and perfectly ripened tomatoes - Delish!

I added a splash of balsamic vinegar to the onions to play-up the sweetness factor. I used tiny yellow tomatoes because they were on sale and organic. And because my bread had gotten moldy (Adam, this is why I keep my bread in the freezer!) I used some whole wheat rolls that I had stored in where else? The freezer.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

• Per serving - 350 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated), 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein (exchanges: 2 starch, 3 1/2 fats, 2 protein, 1/2 vegetable; WW points: 8)
• Notes - If you aren't a cheese snob and don't mind sacrificing a little flavor and deliciousness, you could swap the full-fat version for a 2% reduced fat cheese...or you could just make sure the rest of your meals that day aren't particularly high in fat (and saturated fat) and enjoy the real deal...it's only 350 calories for the whole sandwich; I recommend adding the balsamic like I did...the onions were so good; as you can see in the picture, I didn't dice the onions, just sliced them into half-rings; I love my All-Clad panini pan!

EDF September

Remember how I said I was going to post seasonal recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine every month? Well it's September....so here goes:

Romaine, Avocado, and Corn Salad

- per serving: 166 calories, 8.9 g fat, 4.7 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 1 1/2 fat, 1 vegetable, 1 starch; WW points: 3)

- suggestions: add some shredded chicken or black beans, for added protein, and make it a meal

English Muffin with Apple and Cheddar

- per serving (1/2 an English muffin): 173 calories, 7.7 g fat, 7.5 g protein, 18.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 1/4 fruit, 1 fat, 1 protein; WW points: 4)

- suggestions: use a whole wheat English muffin; Martha says 1 serving is both halves of the muffin, which would be fine if you were eating this as a meal...I would eat half and have it at breakfast or as a snack

Roasted Vegetable Soup

- per serving: 172 calories, 7.5 g fat, 3.6 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 4 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat; WW points: 3)

- suggestions: I would only use 1 tablespoon of oil

Chicken and Artichoke Stew

- per serving: 355 calories, 10 g fat, 40 g protein, 25.4 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber (exchanges: 2 fat, 5 protein, 1/2 starch, 3 vegetables; WW points: 7)

- suggestions: to make this recipe quicker, use a shredded rotisserie chicken purchased from the store; note, the optional rice is not included in the nutritional info; you could use shredded breast meat instead of thighs

Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

- per serving (1 cutlet...w/o tomato sauce...but that won't add much!): 192 calories, 7 g fat, 29 g protein, 1.8 g carbohydrates (exchanges:4 protein, 1 1/2 fat; WW points: 4)

- suggestions: Martha thinks you should eat 2 of these (for 384 cals and 58 g protein), but unless you are a man, you do not need that much protein at 1 meal...so my serving is 1 cutlet; this is a make ahead and freeze meal...perfect for a quick dinner

Broccoli Chowder with Corn and Bacon

- per serving: 264 calories, 6.1 g fat (2.6 g saturated), 14.4 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 2 protein, 1 fat, 1 vegetable, 2 starch; WW points: 5)

- suggestions: I would probably add garlic with the onions

Herb Crusted Salmon with Spinach Salad

- per serving: 383 calories, 18.5 g fat (3 g saturated), 36.5 g protein, 16.7 g carbohydrates, 2.6 g fiber (exchanges: 3 1/2 fat, 6 protein, 2 vegetable; WW points: 9)

- suggestions: Don't be scared by the amount of fat...it's mostly from the fish (heart healthy omega-3's); I would use whole wheat bread

Iceberg Wedges with Gorgonzola Dressing

- per serving: 80 calories, 2.7 g fat (1.8 g saturated), 5 g protein, 9.6 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber (exchanges: 1/2 fat, 1 protein, 1 vegetable; WW points: 1)

- suggestions: I might add a little more cheese!

Latte e Miele

Did you know that Baton Rouge has a gelateria (a place where gelato is served)???? I was just flipping through 225 magazine (check Hil out on page 31!) and read this article about Latte e Miele (Italian for "milk and honey") and got soooo excited! Apparently it has been open since April (how am I just now finding out about this?)

Gelato reminds me of big cities...Houston, NYC, LA...not Baton Rouge! But it's here and I will be sure to visit soon!

Here are two blog posts about Latte e Miele: First Bite and Cuisine Rouge.

Latte and Miele is located on Highland at I-10 (near CCL) and is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 10 pm. If you aren't into gelato (and really, you should be) you can also get cappuccino and espresso...or gelato topped with a shot of espresso!

Latte e Miele, I'm on my way!