Grilled Brie and Apple Sandwiches

Serves 2

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider, or apple juice
4 slices sourdough bread
1 small Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
2 oz brie cheese, thinly sliced

1. Spray a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place pan over medium-high heat and add onions. Sauté until soft and golden brown, adding cider as needed to prevent burning. (For realsies, listen to this instruction! Mine got a little burnt!)

2. Lay 2 slices of bread on a clean surface and divide apple slices, Brie and
caramelized onions among them. Cover each with a second piece of bread. Spray skillet again and set over medium heat. Grill sandwiches until cheese melts and bread browns. (I had to cover the skillet to get the brie to melt. Grilling these sandwiches just isn't enough heat to melt brie.) Cut into halves and serve hot.

Served with a salad (using leftover dressing from this recipe.)

Results: Ohhhhh...it looks so good, doesn't it? I really, really wanted to like this sandwich more than I actually did. I love brie. I love caramelized onions. I like apples. And sourdough bread. Forget about it! But...alas...this sandwich was merely mediocre. Both Chris and I were a little disappointed. It didn't taste bad in any way, it just didn't WOW me the way I expected it to. :-( Boo for me!

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Cheddar, Apple and Walnut Salad

Serves 4
Prep Time: Cooking Time:

olive oil cooking spray
4 slices uncooked turkey bacon
2 slices mixed-grain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, toasted
9 oz spinach, baby leaves
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 oz low-fat cheddar or colby cheese, cut into thin wedges
1 large apple, cut into thin wedges
6 Tbsp fat-free Raspberry vinaigrette

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook as package directs until crisp, about 4 minutes; remove bacon to a paper towel. Let bacon drain briefly then crumble into bite-size pieces; transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add bread cubes to same skillet. Cook over medium heat, tossing often, until slightly golden and crisp, about 3 minutes; remove to a plate and set aside. (This method did not work for me. I ended up toasted these in the toaster over with much better results.)

3. Transfer walnuts to bowl with bacon. Add spinach, endive, cheese, apple and dressing to bowl; toss to mix and coat. Put about 4 cups of salad mixture on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle each serving with about 3 tablespoons of homemade croutons.

Results: These tastes go perfect together! This was a delicious and filling salad. The jury is still out for me on turkey bacon. I'm not a big fan, but it was actually perfect in this dish, since it was more of a background flavor.