Fancy-Shmancy Grilled Cheese

This creation is credited to my hubbie. He taught me how to make the unbelievably scrumptious grilled cheese sandwich his dad made for him as a kid. When I'm particularly stressed by graduate school work, he makes this to warm my heart and tummy. 

We buy fresh sourdough bread, or sometimes make a loaf of sweet country bread in our breadmaker machine. But for grilled cheese, I find tangy sourdough to be the yummiest. Drop some Light Smart Balance or other non-dairy butter substitute onto an iron skillet (preferably) or frying pan. Take two pieces of bread. On one, spread a bit of vegan mayo. On the other, place some vegan cheese of your choice. You don't need tons of cheese, because the mayo adds a lot of depth to the sandwich. Place the two slices of bread in the skillet and allow them to pan fry, mayo and cheese sides up, of course. Check the bread every minute or so until you reach the brown color you're looking for (I prefer mine just lightly browned so as to retain the bread's full flavor). If desired, add a fresh slice of tomato before smushing the sandwich together! A true country version of the grilled cheese sandwich. 

Chop Salad, No Soggy Lettuce

This is my go-to recipe for our own quick dinners or dinner parties. I don't really have a name for it. I just refer to it as my "tomato and salad". First, salad doesn't need greens to be a salad, so toss those to the side. Admit it, they sometimes get in the way of the good stuff. Chop approximately:

1 avocado

1/2 sweet onion

2-3 tomatos

2 seedless cucumbers

1/3 bunch fresh cilantro

1-2 fresh garlic cloves

Pour some olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar (or lime juice) over the veggies. Sprinkle some sea salt and grind some fresh black pepper. Stir it all up. Toss in a bit of vegan cheese if desired, or sprinkle a tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast. Don't plan on leftovers. The avocado doesn't tend to last long and the vinegar or citric juice cooks the tomatoes. Prepare fresh, serve promptly. Serves 2-4 people, depending on whether you're using this as an entree or side dish.