Looking for a light lunch or dinner option that the whole family will love?! Meet my “bruschetta grilled cheese”. This idea originated from an episode of Dr. Oz I watched a few months back. No I did not take the recipe from the show, however I did get the idea of making a grilled cheese from the show. On the particular episode I watched guest nutritionists offered suggestions of how to lower the calorie in grilled cheese sandwiches. As I was watched the episode I began to thank how I could lower the calories even further in grilled cheese, while also adding a delicious flavor. Instantly the idea of adding tomatoes and basil popped into my head. There you have how the bruschetta grilled cheese was created.
A few of the tricks I used to lower the calories in the grilled cheese included: lower calorie bread (in this case I used sandwich thins), low calorie nutrient dense fillers (ie. vegetables), and lower fat cheese. With these changes I added fiber and vitamins/minerals, while taking the calories down a notch. I believe the sandwiches on the show ranged from 300 to 500 calories, while my sandwich has only approximately 218 calories per serving.
I used a George Foreman grill to make my sandwich, however you could make it like an old fashion grilled cheese in a skillet. Another option would be to use a panini press or panini pan.
Here is the sandwich on the grill before the balsamic vinegar was drizzled on and second piece of bread was added.
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