Go Get Your Cheese On!

         If you take a walk around Toronto you will notice that a specific comfort food, that you often make when there is nothing else to eat, is becoming the current rage. I'm not sure if other cities are jumping in on this novelty treat, but regardless, this comfort food is being made more extravagant and upscale. Certainly the most posh restaurants in the country will begin selling this simple sandwich for ridiculous prices, and oddly, people will pay for. But for now, the lowly Grilled Cheese sandwich is content being a delicious dish served on side streets in the most trendy and bohemian of neighbourhoods.

The Details
         A few weeks back, Miss McCormack and I visited one of these fine trendy establishments in Kensington Market, and wow, were we amazed. We were first amazed by the sheer number of options. Each flavour combination seemed more adventurous than the last, and we quickly realized that our decision would not be an easy one. Secondly, we were amazed that they do everything fresh. If you want bacon, they cook it right there, on the spot. There are no heat lamps, no frills, just 2 guys grilling some cheese. After much deliberation, we finally decided to try two different sandwiches, then we could swap halves. Best decision ever!

Our Decisions





         The first sandwich we decided upon was the Blackjack. This sandwich was composed of jalapeño Havarti cheese perfectly melted with black olive pesto, spinach, and tomatoes between two pieces of fresh whole wheat bread. The olives gave the sandwich a nice tang and the jalapeño Havarti cheese gave it a nice kick. The sandwich was served with ruffled chips and a gigantic homemade pickle, all for $6.

         The second sandwich we tried was Apple Crisp. This sandwich was the perfect combination of savoury and sweet, and you even have the option for adding bacon (freshly cooked of course). Between two pieces of whole wheat bread we found gooey cheddar cheese, crispy-caramelized apples, red onion, and avocado (we decided to go meatless). Apples and cheese have always been a popular combination, and the guys at Grilled Cheese have certainly jumped on that. Just like all their sandwiches, it was served with ruffled chips and a gigantic pickle, all for $8.





Overall Thoughts
         Despite the long wait for our food (and we arrived before the lunch rush), the sandwiches were delicious and full of flavour. Although the wait for our meal was long, I really can't complain because I know that the cook uses fresh ingredients that are cooked to order. The only real disappointment was the chips that were served with the grilled cheese sandwiches. I feel that the store-bought potato chips really took away from the wholesomeness and experience of the food. The homemade pickle was a really nice touch though. Overall, I would highly recommend visiting this fine and trendy establishment.


Address & Hours
The Grilled Cheese
66 1/2 Nassau Street, Toronto, ON.


Monday - Thursday: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Friday - Saturday: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
        Sunday:     11:00 am - 6:00 pm

If you're a TTC rider, take the Spadina streetcar (bus) and get off at Nassau. Walk west and cross Augusta Ave. You can't miss it. Just look for the long line!

Go get your cheese on!

                                                                                                                                                                                  Enjoy!
                                                                                                                                                                                       Mel

UPDATE: The Grilled Cheese has since shut down. I guess it doesn't matter how delicious your food is, you can still be a twit. For more information you can read this BlogTO post. 

Lasagna Rolls

         Who wouldn't agree that food is more fun rolled up? Maybe a square.... but probably not.  Everyone loves burritos with all their meaty and cheesy goodness rolled into a tortilla. Kids love those sweet 'fruit' roll up snacks, although we all question how much 'fruit' is actually in them. Momma O and my aunts used to make jello roll ups, with, marshmallows and, you guessed it, jello! And, there are a tonne of different appetizers that are rolled up in tortillas or pastry dough. Rolling up your food just makes it scream, "I'm fun! Eat me!" What makes it even better is when it's healthy! Youpii!

       Today we'll be making Lasagna Roll. Now, just  a bit of a warning, these are meat-less, but I swear to you, no one will ever know. Mr. Pepper asked me multiple times if I was sure that there was no meat in them (really, I made them, I am positive!). These are good for all ages, and easily adaptable to your own likes-dislikes and dietary restrictions.

Here's what you need:

9 Lasagna noodles
10 oz (1 package) frozen chopped spinach
15 oz (1 tub) fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
32 oz tomato sauce
9 tbsp. partially skimmed mozzarella cheese, shredded


1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Boil water in the kettle.


2. Layer your uncooked lasagna noodles on a baking sheet or in a 9" x 12" baking dish. Pour boiling water over top of the noodles, making sure all noodles are fully submerged. Set aside. (This is by far the easiest way to cook lasagna noodles, ever!)








3. Combine spinach (now, I only added half of the spinach as I misplaced the rest, only finding it once the entire dish was in the oven, and it still tasted great), Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.





4. Ladle about 1 cup of sauce (I had Ragu kicking around the fridge, so I used that) on the bottom of a 9" x 9" baking dish.

5. Remove your cooked lasagna noodles from hot water in the baking dish and pat dry.





6. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out all of the cooked lasagna noodles. Take about 1/3 cup of the ricotta-spinach mixture and spread evenly over each noodle, leave about 1cm at one end.





7. Once you are out of mixture, and all your noodles have some spread over it, roll them each up carefully towards the end where you left some space. Place them each seam side down into the baking dish.








8. Ladle the remaining sauce over the rolled noodles in the baking dish and top each roll with 1 tbsp. of mozzarella cheese.









9. Put foil over the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an addition 10 minutes, or until melted cheese on top is bubbly. Let sit a few minutes before serving.






        Here's where it gets interesting! This recipe comes with nutritional information! I wish I could do this for all of my recipes, but alas, I don't know how.
6 WW+ points      224.9 Calories      5.1g fat      3.4g fibre      13.0g protein      31.5 carbohydrates

        You could make this recipe full fat by not using the partially skimmed and low fat cheeses, and you can even take out some of the carbs by using zucchini strips instead of noodles (make sure you salt the strips to draw out the moisture and then pat them dry before adding the ricotta-spinach mixture). You could even make it meat lover friendly by adding sausage, pepperoni, or ground beef/chicken/pork. Have fun with it!

                                                                                                       Enjoy!
                                                                                                            Mel