Guest Post – Grilled Cheese with Sautéed Red Peppers & Onion

My apologies for how quiet things have been around here in the last week. Things got busy on the home front and crafting and baking fell to the wayside. But I’ve got some fun projects on the go and will have some things to share soon. Be sure to check back tomorrow for another DIY birthday card. In the meantime, I’ve got another fabulous recipe from One Hungry Dude. Enjoy!

Sometimes, the most satisfying recipes develop unexpectedly. A few weeks ago, on a night where we really didn't have a lot of time to prepare a complex dinner, I decided to experiment with this latest sandwich idea. It was prepared very quickly, and each bite had a deliciously salty, spicy, cheesy and mildly sweet flavour. It's a great vegetarian sandwich idea, with a surprisingly complex taste, but uses common ingredients that most people will have in their refrigerator or pantry.

Ingredients
• 3 Tbsp Margarine
• 1 Onion, Thinly Sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Diced
• 1/2 Jalapeno, Chopped
• 1/2 Large Red Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• 1/2 Tsp Basil
• Salt and Pepper
• Splash of Red Wine
• Splash Vegetable Broth
• Juice from 1/4 Lemon
• 8 Slices of Bread
• Roughly 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese Blend

Heat the margarine in a large frying pan over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion begins to soften, about five minutes. Add the jalapeno, red pepper, thyme, basil, salt and pepper, and cook until the red peppers begin to soften, about five to eight minutes. Reduce the heat by about half, and add the red wine, and vegetable broth. Cook until the liquid had almost completely boiled down and absorbed into the vegetables. Mix the lemon juice into the vegetables, then take the mixture out of the pan, and set aside. Place four of the bread slices on the pan. Put a handful of cheese on top of each, then add an evenly divided portion of the vegetables. Cover with the remaining bread slices. Flip the sandwiches once, when the bottom slices of bread begin to brown. Once the other side reaches the same colouring, remove each sandwich from the heat. Let sit for two to three minutes, then slice and serve.

I usually recommend a dipping sauce for sandwiches. But there's so much flavour in this recipe (especially since you're browning the bread in vegetable juices), there's almost no need for dip.

This recipe yields four sandwiches.