Brie and Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

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Due to a late harvest in my garden beds, I have a major abundance of tomatoes at the moment. Countless people have told me to start canning them, but I am being stubborn. I'm determined to eat them all without dealing with the canning process. We'll see how that lasts.

One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes is roasted, with a tiny bit of sea salt. It brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, which the salt compliments quite well. When I finally found some delicious Gluten Free bread that I like, I started experimenting with putting the delicious roasted tomatoes on a sandwich.

Brie and Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tomato (I used a yellow tomato from my garden, but feel free to use one of your favorite variety! Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 sprinkling sea salt
• 2 slices bread (I used Gluten Free Bread, Super Seeded, by Essential Baking Co)
• 4 thin slices brie cheese
• Garneshes to taste (I added sriracha and guacamole because duh)

Directions:

1. Roast the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 350. Slice tomato slices 1/4 inch thick and place on a sprayed cookie sheet (I used a layer of aluminum foil and then sprayed it with coconut oil cooking spray). Brush or drizzle slices with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. After 10 minutes (or when the tomatoes have become gooey), take out of the oven.
2. Place two pieces of bread on a pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Place two thin pieces of brie cheese on each piece.
3. Add the roasted tomatoes to one piece.
4. Cover and wait 2-4 minutes, until the brie cheese begins to melt. Then, put the two pieces of the sandwich together and press down to glue them together. 
5. Heat for another 2-4 minutes, until the bottom piece is well-toasted, and then repeat on the other side. 
6. Serve with sriracha and guac, if you've got it!

Avocado Grilled Cheese

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Crispy bread. Melted, delicious, sharp cheddar cheese. Avocado, cilantro, and onion spread. And tiny bits of spinach in between. It's like Guacamole and Grilled cheese had a baby. 

Avocado hipsters. Let's face it. They're everywhere. I'd like to assert that I've loved avocados since long before they were cool. Ask my mom. She'll tell you I loved guacamole even as a baby. That's proof of my eternal coolness, I'm pretty darn sure. I'm also darn sure that I loved corgis before they were trending. My family is now on their third corgi. We're corgi-obsessed. We have corgi coffee mugs, corgi t shirts... you get the jist. Well, all of these avocado and corgi hipsters can come beg me for love. I am the original, okay?!

Nothing like a good rant, amirite? [No. You're not. You need to move on.] Okay...

ANYWAY. Back to reality. I love avocado. I love cheese. I especially love grilled cheese. So it seems as though I should have created this easy concoction long ago... 

Avocado Grilled Cheese

Servings: 1 (but you will have enough leftover avocado spread for 2-3 additional sandwiches... or lots of chips!)

Calories: 215

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 1 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp Feta Cheese
• 1 tbsp Onion, chopped
• 2 pieces bread (I use Sara Lee's 45 Calories and Delicious bread... yes, that's the actual name... but feel free to class it up and use Sourdough if you don't mind the calories)
• Thinly sliced white cheddar cheese, to taste (or use a pre-sliced piece... but I promise you that white cheddar cheese will WOW your tastebuds!)
• 4-6 leaves of Baby Spinach

Directions:

1. Remove avocado skin and seed. For those of you who are sick of making a mess while skinning and seeding avocados: Cut a ring on the whole avocado, cutting it into two long halves. Then, on each half, carefully cut the inside (but do NOT cut the skin) into a tic-tac-toe pattern (intersecting lines). Then, use a spoon to spoon out the squares and put them into a bowl.
2. In a bowl, use a fork or large spoon to mash avocado 'meat' into a spread.
3. Add cilantro, feta, and onion, then mix well.
4. If using cheese that is not pre-sliced, cut thin pieces of cheese and set aside.
5. Spread a layer of avocado on one piece of bread.
6. Put this piece of bread down on a grill, stovetop grill, or panini press. Add a layer of spinach on top of the avocado spread, then add sliced cheese and top with the second piece of bread.
7. If making this on a stovetop grill, be sure to cover the pan and occasionally use a spatula to press down on the sandwich. Once the bottom side begins to brown, flip the sandwich and continue cooking until the other side browns as well. If using a panini press, cook until you see the browning lines on the bread and the cheese is melted.
8. Remove from heat, cut in half, and serve! 

Notes:

• We dipped these in Sriracha (which I am obsessed with, making my tongue really tired of the heat).