Summer Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

I love a good sandwich from time to time - one loaded with so much "stuff" you can hardly fit it in your mouth.  As I was perusing my pantry and fridge last week, I found that I had the perfect ingredients on hand to make an out of this world sandwich creation.   It's not often that that happens - jackpot!

Get a load of this - grilled chicken with avocado, roasted red pepper, crispy prosciutto, and havarti all atop a fresh demi french baguette, placed under the broiler for about 5 minutes just so the havarti is melted and then topped with a tossed fresh greens mix.  Are you still with me?  Hope so because you have to make this.  It's a great option when a burger or a brat just doesn't sound good.

Of course you can substitute ingredients to suit your tastes - swap out chicken for grilled shrimp or go all veggie and do portabello mushroom instead.  Use slow roasted tomatoes or slather the bread with pesto if desired.  There are a million options here, that's why sandwiches are great.  Have fun with it! 

I will leave you with a few pictures of cabin life in northern Minnesota - we spent the long holiday weekend at the cabin again.  Perfect weather for boating and swimming in the lakes.  I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July! 

Happy Eating!

Lily says, "Happy 4th of July!"

My husband and me enjoying a day on the lake.

Summer Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Recipe by A Toast to Taste
Photos by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed (for 2 sandwiches):
2 fresh demi french baguettes, sliced in half lengthwise
2 grilled chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 avocado, pit and skin removed, sliced thin
1/4 cup roasted red peppers
4 slices prosciutto, cooked until crisp
4 slices havarti cheese
1 large handful mixed greens
1 Tbsp olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to broil setting.  My oven has a high and low broiler setting, I set mine on low.  Make sure your rack is at the highest level it can go.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place baking rack on top. 

Place sliced baguettes on baking rack, drizzle with a little olive oil.  Top the bottom halves with avocado slices, followed by the sliced chicken, roasted red pepper, crispy prosciutto, and finally the cheese slices (2 per sandwich).  Place under broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

While the sandwich is in the oven, prepare the mixed greens by taking a large handful of greens and tossing with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Remove sandwiches from oven, let sit for one minute.  Top with greens and enjoy!

Grilled Cheese with Vermont Cheddar & Prosciutto

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month?  I'm celebrating today.

When I think of grilled cheese my mind automatically wanders back to my childhood.  Grilled cheese was a staple in my diet back then, and still, to this day, the smell of buttered bread toasting in a pan brings back such vivid memories.  Back in those days, my parents literally had to pull us into the house to eat because we were so busy playing outside with the neighborhood kids.  We weren't watching TV, playing video games, or social networking on our computers and cell phones.   We were playing tag in the backyard.  Building forts in the woods.  Riding our bikes up and down the gravel roads.  Playing tennis against the garage door.  Racing our big wheels down the hill in the front yard.  We used our imaginations.  And that's what fueled our lives and our brains.  We sat down as a family for dinner each night.  We had consequences for bad behavior.  We were taught the value of hard work, and that we can't win at everything we do.  My how things have changed in this society.  What happened to those good ole days? 

I digress...back to the sandwich.  This grilled cheese is a riff on the classic, geared more towards my grown-up tastes.  For years I have tried to find a sharp cheddar that I liked, and have finally found one that I literally cannot stop eating.  Enter Cabot Sharp Cheddar from Vermont.  This stuff is dreamy.  It's tangy, creamy, salty, over the top flavor.  Plus, it melts like a charm in a grilled sandwich.  Add prosciutto and you won't be able to stop eating these.  I'm not joking. 

Bread, butter, cheese, prosciutto all toasted on rustic Italian bread.  Pure joy!  The key to this sandwich is to cook it low and slow - I even covered the pan with the top for a couple minutes to aid in the melting process.  If you cook it too high you will end up with burned bread and unmelted cheese.  Who wants that?  Not me!  Just remember - low and slow.

Happy Grilled Cheese Month!

Grilled Cheese with Vermont Cheddar & Prosciutto
Recipe by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed:
2 slices Italian Bread
1 Tbsp butter, softened for spreading
5 very thin slices of Cabot Sharp Cheddar (white) - they come in blocks in my store
1-2 slices prosciutto

Makes 1 sandwich

Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread and place buttered side down on a plate for assembly.  Place 3 slices of cheese on one slice of bread followed by slice(s) of prosciutto and then the remaining slices of cheese.  Cover with remaining slice of bread, butter side up.  Heat skillet over low heat, add sandwich.  Cook on one side for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and flip with spatula, being careful that sandwich does not fall apart, and cook another 4-5 minutes on other side until golden brown.  You may add the cover to your pan for a couple minutes to aid in the melting.  Remove sandwich from pan and transfer to plate, cut in half, and enjoy!