Many people, when asked what they consider to be their favorite, or one of their favorite comfort foods, will immediately respond with “Grilled Cheese!”. Maybe it’s because it’s something we eat when we’re kids, so it takes us back to a time when things were simple. Grilled Cheese and a bowl of tomato soup, what’s better than that on a snowy day for lunch? Remembering having grilled cheese in the middle of summer on the patio with your siblings will surely bring a smile to your face.

Yesterday I had every intention of making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, but as the day wore on, I really didn’t feel like cooking anything. I decided I’d save the grilled cheese for today. When I woke up this morning and saw on Instagram that it was “National Grilled Cheese Day”, I realized I had made the right decision. Some things really do work out for the best.

I ran into Trader Joe’s this morning because my German Shepard was out of the chicken that I serve him with his kibble for breakfast and dinner. As I was in the market, I grabbed a package of fresh rosemary. When I reached the checkout, the clerk said to me “Yum! Rosemary chicken :)”. I said “actually, the chicken is for my dog and the rosemary is for a grilled cheese sandwich”. Rosemary chicken does sound good, however, so check back in the next week or so and I’ll probably make some version of that for dinner one night.

I like to use lite cheese whenever possible and that’s what I did for my sandwich today. I used lite cheddar. It has a little less than half the fat of regular white cheddar and less calories as well.

I started with two slices of sourdough bread. I spread  a tablespoon of spicy brown mustard on the inside of each slice. I then minced the leaves of one sprig of rosemary and sprinkled them on each half of the sandwich. The crunch of a fresh apple always sounds good to me so I added half of a sliced apple to my sandwich. I placed it on top of the bottom half of the sandwich on top of my lite cheddar. I did add more cheese to the top half of the sandwich so it would melt on both sides, around the apple.

 

I decided to use my panini maker so I wouldn’t have to flip the sandwich mid-cooking. If you don’t have a panini maker, you can definitely grill your sandwich on the stove in a skillet.

I spread the outside of the bread with Smart Balance Margarine, which happens to have 50% less fat than butter and less than half the cholesterol of butter. There is also no animal fat in Smart Balance. I’m definitely not knocking butter, it has it’s place for sure. I just prefer to use something lighter for every day use. If I’m having company for dinner, you can bet I’ll be using butter. And if you choose to use regular butter for this recipe, that is fine too. I believe it’s personal preference.

 

Once I spread the outside of the bread with my Smart Balance, I sprinkled a teaspoon of grated parmesan to each side. I like the crust that a little parmesan added to the outside of my grilled cheese provides.

 

I decided to serve my sandwich with a side of spicy brown mustard (for dipping, of course) and a few potato chips. I also decided to package half this sandwich up for Dennis to have later. I didn’t want him to miss out :).

 

Ingredients

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tablespoon Smart Balance (or butter, your choice) (depending on the size of your bread, you may need 2 tablespoons total)
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 3-4 slices lite white cheddar (depending on the size of your bread) – feel free to use regular cheese vs. lite if you prefer
• 1/2 apple, sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Spread inside of each slice of bread with mustard. Sprinkle minced rosemary over mustard and add cheese slices (1-1/2 – 2 slices per slice). Add apples to one side of bread.
2. Close sandwich and spread the outside of both slices with Smart Balance and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
3. Place in preheated panini maker (or on stove top in a skillet) and cook until bread is browned and toasted and the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris