Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese... it's a classic. I can't even tell you how many grilled cheese sandwiches I've eaten in my lifetime. As a child it was on the short list of foods I'd eat. Then when John and I moved in together it was on the short list of items I could cook. I made grilled cheese and frozen french fries more times than I care to admit in our first year of living together... If I'm being honest with you, to me grilled cheese means white bread+yellow American cheese+butter. No wheat bread, no tomatoes, hold the bacon (GASP!), nothing fancy. But you see.. I don't buy white bread, or American cheese... so when the mood for grilled cheese struck I had to improvise.

I received Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave, as a gift last year and I love it. I love to cook food that doesn't necessarily appear healthy at first glance (aka steamed veggies and grilled fish) but actually is good better for you. Ellie Krieger tends to have recipes that are aligned with the way I cook. So needless to say I'm a fan. This grilled cheese was really tasty. It broke all of my rules- there was no white bread, no American cheese, and there were veggies in there, but I still enjoyed it. I think it's a nice, sophisticated twist on a grilled cheese sandwich. Give it a shot- you won't be disappointed.

Source: Adapted from  "The Food You Crave" by Ellie Krieger

Serves two

Ingredients:
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 large red onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper
4 slices of wheat bread
4 slices thin sliced sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices thin sliced pepper Jack cheese
4 slices of tomato
Cooking spray

Directions:
1- In a small saucepan heat the oil. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden. Season with salt and pepper.
2- Spray a large griddle pan with cooking spray. Add the bread. Top two slices of bread with 2 slices of cheddar and two slices with 2 slices of pepper Jack cheese.
3- Top each cheddar slice with half the onion mixture. Top the pepper Jack slices with tomato.
4- Once the cheese is starting to melt place one pepper Jack piece on top of a cheddar piece. Repeat with the other two slices.
5- Cook until golden. Serve hot.