Red, White, and Green Grilled Cheese

• 1 tsp  garlic, minced (about ½ clove)

• 1  small onion, minced (about ½ cup)

• 2 C  frozen cut spinach, thawed and drained (or substitute 2 bags (10 oz each) fresh leaf spinach, rinsed)

• ¼ tsp  ground black pepper

• 8 slices  whole-wheat bread

• 1   medium tomato, rinsed, cut into 4 slices

• 1 C  shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

• 1

  Preheat oven to 400 °F.  Place a large baking sheet in the oven to preheat for about 10 minutes.

• 2

  Heat garlic with cooking spray in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.  Cook until soft, but not browned.  Add onions, and continue to cook until the onions are soft, but not browned.

• 3

  Add spinach, and toss gently.  Cook until the spinach is heated throughout.  Season with pepper, and set aside to cool.

• 4

  When the spinach and onions are cool, assemble each sandwich with one slice of bread on the bottom, one tomato slice, ½ cup of spinach mixture, ¼ cup of cheese, and a second slice of bread on the top. (For picky eaters, see Healthy Eating Two Ways suggestion below.)

• 5

  Spray the preheated nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the sandwiches on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until the bottom of each sandwich is browned.

• 6

  Carefully flip sandwiches, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until both sides are browned.  Serve immediately.