Tag Archives: panini sandwich

Avocado and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Sandwichs and tagged with , , , , , ,
Avocado and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Avocado and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I thought I heard someone singing  just outside my back door while I was making these sandwiches for lunch.

She wasn’t the best singer in the world, but ya got to hand it to her, she was brave.  I’m sure if I had the nerve to sing outside in public, I’d be less than average, too.  But a lot of times it’s more about guts than anything else when it comes to singing.  You just have to step out there and mean it.  That’s what it takes. ( Not that I would really know, but that’s what I’ve heard, anyway.)

I felt that way when I stepped into the kitchen around noon on a Saturday, and started pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator for lunch.  It takes guts to make something you’ve never made before, but I’ve had every intention of making these sandwiches for a long time now.  I think that’s called procrastination, or making excuses like I’m missing one of the necessary ingredients.   Sometimes the best plans take time to activate.  Yep, that’s what it takes;  intention, plans, and guts.  I’m telling you, it’s real.

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The idea that was floating around in my head was to put avocado into a grilled cheese sandwich.  I was imagining an irresistible gooeyness, but realized that it needed something else to contrast with all that richness, so I included firm, ripe tomato slices.  Tomatoes that are not overly ripe work best, so they don’t give off too much juice as they grill.  A leap of faith is what it was,  but one that turned out to be right on the money.    Whoo-Hoo!

This is a sandwich to make when you want to impress someone with your culinary skills!

 

AVOCADO AND TOMATO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

Yield:  Makes 4 sandwichesIMG_7959

Ingredients:

  • 3 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup) or any other cheese of choice
  • 8 slices seedless rye bread
  • 8 tomato slices
  • 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into thin slices
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp, black pepper
  • cooking spray

Directions:

1.  Sprinkle 3 tablespoons cheese over each of 4 bread slices.  If using sliced cheese, use 2 slices.  Top each with 2 tomato slices.  Arrange avocado slices evenly over tomato slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   (In place of salt and pepper, I often use Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle for an added flavor boost.)

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2.  Top with remaining 4 bread slices.  Lightly coat outsides of sandwiches with cooking spray.

3.  Heat a grill pan (or panini pan) over medium heat.  Place sandwiches in pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted and well marked and cheese melts.  Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately.

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SOURCE:    A Carolyn Original

 

 

 

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A Loaded Panini

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals, Sandwichs and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

By day #4 of not having a refrigerator, I’m really getting to the bottom of the barrel in terms of what I can create for a meal.  This is what I have to work with:  some deli sliced smoked turkey,  sliced cheddar cheese and sliced provolone,  a few strips of bacon, and a tomato.  Does that sound to you like it could become a sandwich?   That’s what I thought, too.  EXCEPT we don’t have any bread.  So, I had to cheat a little.  I stopped at the grocery store and got a few rolls.  So for dinner this evening we had Toasted Panini Sandwiches with Sweet Potato chips and pickles.

Grilled turkey, bacon, cheese and tomato panini.

Grilled turkey, bacon, cheese and tomato panini.

A while ago I treated myself to a Panini//Grill pan.  I’m so glad I did.  I no longer use the electric sandwich toaster I had been using, choosing now to make grilled sandwiches on the stove top using the panini grill.  Plus this grill pan is great for grilling burgers or steaks and chops quickly indoors if you can’t use the outdoor grille.  Note that the pan comes with a weighted flat cover that is used to compress sandwiches, or anything else that you want to keep flat as it grills.

Panini Grill Pan

Panini Grill Pan

This is a little off today’s subject, but I also have a George Forman Grill that I don’t use.  I’m not pleased with the results when I use it.  Instead of getting a nice browned sear on meats, mine seem to steam-cook rather than grill.   Am I doing something wrong?  If anyone reading this has any suggestions for me I’d love to hear them.  Thanks.

The rolls I purchased were sesame bulky rolls.  So, starting with the rolls, slice each one in half, and spread each cut side with a little mayonnaise.   Next start layering in the fillings:  thinly sliced turkey breast, as many slices as you like, and  sliced cheese.

Sliced turkey and sliced cheese placed on the split rolls.

Sliced turkey and sliced cheese placed on the split rolls.

Then lay on the already cooked bacon slices, and sliced tomatoes.  A sprinkle of seasoned salt on the tomatoes is good, or regular table salt.

Lay on the bacon and tomato slices.

Lay on the bacon and tomato slices.

Lightly butter the bottom of each roll and place on the heated panini grill pan.  Place the flat weight on top of the sandwiches to press them, and toast till nicely browned on the bottom.  Now lightly butter the tops and flip over so the top get toasty and browned, the filling continues to heat and cheese melts.  Be careful to keep the heat on low or the rolls will become too crisp before the fillings heat and melt.

This is what the sandwiches looked like while grilling,

Sandwiches grilling.

Sandwiches grilling.

And this is what the finished sandwiches look like:

Plated sandwich with sweet potato chips and pickle.

Plated sandwich with sweet potato chips and pickle.

Note the  top side of the sandwich; it has grill markings on it, and the top is nice and toasty.  I like to use sesame rolls for this because the sesame seeds get toasted and their flavor is more pronounced.   Yum!  Wish you could taste this—-it was great.

A great sandwich whether for lunch or a light supper.

A great sandwich whether for lunch or a light supper.