Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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!

6 comments:

  1. I didn't think of adding balsamic to the onions, what a great idea! I didn't have any onions at all on hand so next time I'll have to try that. Oh, and I ALWAYS store my bread in the freezer because I never get to all of it in time ;)

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  2. I like the panini press! Cool.
    Samy looks great. One more thing...Hurray for Football. For me, that means snowy days with warm fires and lovely wine. Ahhh....

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  3. The balsamic was a great idea! I am also a bread in the freezer person, I can never eat it all before it starts growing things.

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  4. Love the panini press! I also like that you kept the onion pieces bigger instead of finely diced; I thought it sorta got lost in the cheese (not that that is necessarily a bad thing...). I've never been one to freeze bread because I'm always afraid it will not have the same texture later, but maybe I will try it.

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  5. Freezing bread works best if you plan ahead and defrost at room temp or if you are going to toast or grill!

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  6. Balsamic is a great idea! I love what you did with this sandwich, even though your bread checked out on you. Thanks for cooking along with me this week!

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