Apron Strings to Diamond Rings: Grilled Avocado, Cheese, and Tomato

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Grilled Avocado, Cheese, and Tomato

I love grilled cheese. It is so simple, yet so good. However, it is not always the healthiest choice for a Saturday lunch. With an avocado on hand, getting a bit too ripe, and a tomato almost past its 'good' stage, I decided to kick up the grilled cheese sandwich. I have posted my grilled cheese recipe, along with it's nutritional information (from CalorieCount). Don't be fooled by the extremely high numbers. Some of those are very good, like the fiber. And the fat from the avocado is much better for you than fat from butter or whole fat cheese. So don't be alarmed. Then, to give you a good comparison, I also have the nutritional facts for a simple white-bread-american-cheese-cooked-with-butter grilled cheese. You'll be amazed!

2 pieces of whole wheat/grain bread
2 oz (2-3 slices) of low-moisture low-fat mozzarella
1/2-1 tomato
1/2 avocado, smashed
1-2 sprays of cooking oil

Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Spray with oil. Place the bread in the pan and allow it to brown. Flip it over and add the cheese to the browned side. If you have a lid, place it on top for a few minutes to allow the cheese to fully melt. Once the other side of the bread has browned, plate the grilled cheese open. Spread on the avocado and place the tomato on top. Put the two pieces together and 'Voila!' there it is! Pretty simple. Below are the nutritional facts for the Grilled Avocado, Cheese, and Tomato. Then below that is the regular white bread Grilled Cheese. Happy Eating and Enjoy!

Above: Grilled Avocado, Cheese, and Tomato

(Check that many of the 'bad' nutritional facts are less than in the recipe below. Fiber is higher, which is much better, and remember, the carbs are higher because of the avocado, tomato and whole wheat bread. There are more vitamins because of the tomato and avocado as well. All of this means more calories, but they're healthy calories!)

Above: white bread, american cheese, Grilled Cheese

(Do I even need to explain...?)

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How I Started Cooking

I am no professional chef, nor have I even taken professional cooking or baking classes. I create my dishes from the heart, reading and researching a combination of recipes, putting that knowledge to use and either developing my own recipe or amending one I have read. My love for working in the kitchen began when I was very little, watching my mom bake and cook. In high school I received the opportunity to take two semesters of cooking classes with a wonderful teacher. She is the woman who taught me how to make chicken broth from scratch, properly measure flour and most importantly, read every recipe at least once through before beginning. This is not to say that my mother didn't have a substantial role in my quest to conquer the kitchen. My mother is the one who let me go wild in the kitchen, throwing random ingredients from the pantry into a bowl just to call it 'peanut butter cookies' because they contained peanut butter. That was when I learned that if it contains flour, it most likely has to be baked. Thanks Mom!