Be creative with your grilled sandwiches.
Grilled sandwiches make handy snacks or speedy dinners, and as long as your kitchen's not completely empty, you can usually scrape together enough ingredients to make one. But with a bit of imagination, a grilled sandwich can be more than a convenience food -- it can be nutritionally satisfying or even downright indulgent.
Cheese
If you favor grilled cheddar sandwiches, try a different type of cheese for a change. Melted goat's cheese or Brie taste delicious with onion chutney, and blue cheese softens to a creamy consistency that's perfectly enhanced by a handful of walnuts or a small side salad of beets. If that sounds too extravagant, simply add a spoonful of jelly, mango chutney, or sliced apple or dates to your usual cheddar sandwich.
Bread
Instead of always choosing plain sliced, white bread, give yourself a bit of variety. Whether you choose whole meal, seeded, rye or corn bread, you will benefit not only from a striking difference in taste, but also a much more nutritionally balanced meal. Spread the outside of your sandwich with butter when making grilled sandwiches, to get that delicious, crispy texture. For extra taste, rub the outside of your sandwich with garlic.
Cold Cuts
Exchange your usual ham for pastrami or salami, or go for bacon and poached egg. Try layering the meat for that deli-fresh experience, or opt for a meat-alternative like fried tofu and soy sauce.
Leftovers
Use up the remnants of last night's chicken paired with whatever sauces you have in the refrigerator: mayonnaise, mustard or barbecue sauce. Cut spare roast beef into thin strips and add to hollandaise sauce or cream cheese, or layer unused salmon or trout with horseradish and chives.
Crunch
Shredded raw vegetables add interest to a grilled sandwich. Throw in a bunch of grated carrot or cabbage, onion, peppers, celery or beets. You'll benefit from the extra vitamins too. Or try adding a handful of nuts or seeds. Peanuts, cashews, almonds, sesame seeds or pine nuts go particularly well in sandwiches.
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