EATING
Grilled Cheese on Whole Grain Bread with Tomato and Spinach
When most of us in the healthy eating world hear grilled cheese we immediately think fattening and unhealthy. Though the traditional grilled cheese can be quite fattening, with just a couple of substitutions, this can become a good go-to for a quick, nutritious and delicious meal for kids. And you cannot beat the nutrition packed in whole grain bread in addition to the calcium found in cheese.
So, permission has been granted...grilled cheese is on the menu!
Ingredients:
- 8 slices whole grain bread
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 slices fresh tomatoes
- Fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 Tbs. olive oil plus 1 tablespoon butter
Technique
Melt butter and add to olive oil. Prepare sandwiches by brushing one side of 4 slices of bread. Turn bread over and add one slice of cheese, 1 tomato slice and enough spinach leaves to cover the bread, to 4 slices of bread. Cover with the remaining 4 slices, topping each sandwich. Brush the top of the sandwich with the olive oil/butter mixture. Heat a large griddle to hot. Add sandwiches and grill on each side until brown; turning each sandwich over once browned. Remove and place on a cookie sheet. Transfer cookie sheet to a hot 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes to finish the process. Or if you are using a skillet, transfer skillet with grilled cheese sandwiches to oven.
Remove from griddle or oven and slice each sandwich in halves. Serve with a nice hot bowl of creamy tomato Florentine soup; recipe follows.
Creamy Tomato Florentine Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 cans organic chopped tomatoes
- 2 cans organic tomato sauce
- ½ cu. Sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup raw spinach, chopped
- Basil, Thyme, Oregano
- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
Technique
Heat a large heavy-duty pot and add olive oil. Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and sauté for about 2 minutes. To this add tomatoes, tomato sauce and herbs. Stir in honey, sea salt and black pepper. Cover pot and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until excess liquid is cooked out. Mixture should have very little loose liquid.
Add to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Serve alone with a salad or with a nice grilled cheese sandwich.
How good is that...
