Grown-up Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (Corn-free and Gluten-free)I was an incredibly picky eater as a child. My mom couldn’t get me to eat healthy (which is ironic since I now have a degree in nutrition and love eating healthy). As a child, one of my favorite things to eat was grilled cheese and tomato soup. As an adult I still love it, but I like to make it a bit healthier. Recently one of my best friends and I sat down for an evening of grown up grilled cheese and tomato soup with a side of Brussels sprouts and fruit. It was delicious!
Gluten-free, Corn-free Crock-Pot Tomato Soup
1 sweet onion diced
1 carton of free range organic chicken broth 32 oz
Fresh basil diced (about 3/4 cup + garnish)
2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
2 fresh tomatoes diced
1-1 1/2 cups of milk of your choice (I used almond)*
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp sugar in the raw
1 Tbsp red cayenne pepper (increase or decrease depending on level of spiciness)
3/4 cup rice flour
Place all of the ingredients except the rice flour in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Add the rice flour 15 minutes before serving and stir to thicken. Serve with extra basil for garnish.
Corn-free Grown Up Grilled Cheese
1 slice Low Fat Muenster Cheese from Trader Joe’s (nutritional info)
2 small thin slices 2% Colby-jack cheese
Fresh sourdough bread, sliced
Softened butter
Avocado, sliced
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Spread a thin layer of butter onto one side of each piece of bread (two sliced of bread per sandwich(. Working quickly, place one slice of bread buttered side down onto the hot skillet. Top that slice with cheese and cover with a second slice of bread, buttered side facing out. Cook until bottom slice of bread is crispy and brown and the cheese starts to melt. Flip the sandwich over (careful that it remains together) and cook second side until brown and cheese is melty. Serve hot.
I made the grilled cheese on the smaller side since they are the most unhealthy part. The nice thing about muenster is that it is so creamy that even with a low-fat variety, a little bit goes a long way. And who doesn’t love the taste of sourdough bread? I used very little Colby jack, just enough on each side of the sandwich to give it that gooey texture. And seriously, who doesn’t love to add avocado to any sandwich?
Brussels Sprouts
This recipe is always eyeballed. Set aside the amount of Brussels sprouts you’d like to eat, keeping in mind that they do shrink while baking.
Brussels sprouts
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Sea salt
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Next, microwave your Brussels sprouts for 3-5 minutes to steam and soften them. Transfer them to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic and sea salt. Bake them for around 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them as to not get them too brown.
We had a nice fruit salad on the side and loved every minute of enjoying a childhood meal that was lighter and healthier. While the grilled cheese is still not the healthiest, decreasing the size and using cheese that was both low-fat and 2% helped to decrease the unhealthy side. The tomato soup was delicious and great for dipping!