Well, this all started with my new food crush. It's this:
Super Grain Bread.
And now I have to offer a bit of a confession. I'd like to think I'm not a weirdo or fanatic when it comes to the way I eat (and feed others). I believe in healthy eating. I think it's incredibly important, but I try not to be ridiculous about it. I also believe in splurging *occasionally*. I think that is every bit as good for your heart and mind as good nutritious is for your body. But the most important thing I believe in is figuring out what combination of rules work best for each of us as individuals. We're all different. And here's where the confession part comes in-- I don't eat sandwich bread. Like literally almost never. Not even the whole grain stuff. I know that's weird, but my body just doesn't handle carbs well, and I don't trust the labels on packaged bread. Even the ones that try to tell me they're loaded with whole grains and free of all the processed stuff, etc.-- I don't know. I just don't believe 'em.
Until now. I believe Alpine Valley about their Super Grain Bread, because I can SEE actual whole quinoa grains and sunflower seeds, etc. right in the bread. And it's DELICIOUS!
So. As you can imagine, this recent discovery opened up a whole new category of food to me just in time for summer. That of the simple sandwich. The thing most people enjoy several times a week that I have avoided for years (which I'm still not saying is normal behavior, btw, but avoiding bread has worked well for me).
Anyway, on to the good part. I decided that my very first adventure with this bread would be a grilled cheese. But not just any grilled cheese. Let's load that bad boy up! Here is what I came up with:
Ingredients:
Super Grain Bread (or whatever is your favorite)
Butter (my favorite is Land o' Lakes light)
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
Thinly sliced tart apples
Crisp bacon
Caramelized onions
Baby spinach leaves
Sea Salt
Instructions:
1. Make sure all of your ingredients are ready so that you can build the sandwich after placing the first piece of bread into the pan. This is easier than trying to build and transport a fully loaded sandwich.
2. Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet to medium heat.
3. Butter first piece of bread crust to crust and place butter side down in pan. Add a slice of mozzarella, then layer other ingredients, keeping in mind how to strategically order things to make sure everything melts together well. I did this: After the mozzarella, I added apples, then spinach, then a little bit of cheddar to work as "glue", then bacon, then onions, then another thin slice of mozzarella.
4. Finally butter second piece of bread for the top of the sandwich. Place on top. Allow all cheeses to begin melting, then flip sandwich to brown other piece of bread. When cheese is nicely melted and bread is nicely browned, sprinkle with just a tiny bit of sea salt while sandwich is nice and hot. Enjoy!