Veggie-Packed Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A childhood friend of mine passed away last week. She was the eldest daughter of two families that lived next door to me. I am saddened by this and have been thinking a lot about them and that time period in my life. I think about the other people I grew up with on that block as well. The other family that lived next door to me happened to be one my mom's best friends. I too was and still am close to her, as she was the one to notify me of the unfortunate news. 

The first time I ever tried a grilled cheese sandwich of any kind came from her, my mom's best friend. It wasn't anything special. Just an open faced grilled cheese with a slice of tomato and green pepper on it. I was playing in their backyard with the kids and she brought it out for lunch. I loved it so much and even to this day, it's one of my favorite ways to eat a grilled cheese sandwich. So I put my own twist on a Korean fusion-inspired one. Because one, I've been missing creating food content and two, it's been more than THREE months since I've last done one!  

Veggie-Packed Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices whole wheat bread 3 Tbsp butter 4 slices Colby Jack cheese 1/2 cup kimchi Few slices green, red & yellow pepper 5-6 cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Melt one third of butter in a large non-stick skillet (or grill pan in my case) over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add 2 slices of bread, then 2 slices of cheese on top, press firmly into pan and cook until golden brown on bottom side (approx 2 min.)
2. Char kimchi, peppers & cherry tomatoes while the bread is grilling for approx. 4-5minutes.
3. Chop up kimchi and veggies, then add on top of cheese. Remove sandwich using a flexible metal spatula. Add the remaining butter. Repeat steps 1-3 with second sandwich. Serve & enjoy immediately. :)

Twists include using a cast iron grill pan to give a nicer design on the bread. I always use whole wheat bread unless it's homemade stuffing. That's the only time I'll make an exception for white bread. I charred all the veggies while grilling the cheese and in the same skillet. It gave the cherry tomatoes and peppers a nice tiny roast, which in turn brought more flavor in my opinion. I also grilled the kimchi in the pan for a few minutes to soften the cabbage. And whenever I am making a grilled cheese sandwich I always, nine out of ten times, use Colby Jack cheese. It's a favorite aside from Havarti and Emmental. What's your favorite cheese to grill? 

I have some really exciting content coming to the blog soon! This week I'll be shooting more fashion + style content. I'll be heading down to the Financial District on Tuesday for one of them so stay tuned on my Insta Stories for some BTS! There will also be a brand new cocktail recipe posted more toward the end of the week. And lastly, I'll be attending NYFW again in the next couple of weeks but this time I'll be getting to go backstage to some pretty cool designers... I can't wait to share! Did I mention travel content is also coming to MaQ + Suz in the next few months? Clue? It's international... Looks like 2017 is off to a great start! ;) 

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

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Mini Open Faced Turkey Avocado Sandwiches

Mini Open Faced Turkey Avocado Sandwiches

with Havarti cheese, cucumber and roasted red pepper mayo

Mini Open Faced Turkey Avocado Sandwiches

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

French baguette bread, approx. 6-8 slices

Smoked turkey deli meat, cut into rectangles

Havarti cheese, cut into rectangles

Cucumber, peeled and cut with Mandoline slicer

1 Avocado from Mexico, sliced

4-5 Tablespoons mayo

7 oz. Cento roasted red peppers

Red pepper flakes for seasoning

Don't forget to jazz it up with red pepper flakes or fresh black pepper!

Directions:

1.     Puree roasted red peppers and mix in with the mayo.

2.     Slice baguette bread, turkey meat, cheese, avocado and cucumber.

3.     Spread the roasted red pepper mayo on each baguette.

4.     First layer with cheese, then a few slices of turkey, two slices of avocado and last, cucumbers slice.

5.     Season to your liking with red pepper flakes or fresh black pepper.

6.     Enjoy every single bite!

These little mini turkey bad boys are fresh, healthy and abso-freaking-lutely delicious!

Close-up view of the mini open faced turkey avocado sandwiches.. YUM.

Ready to devour these cuties. Be back later.

Monday's lunch got me all inspired after hearing about Chef’s Roll's March Madness style competition leading up to the Final Four. Their “Avocado Madness”, sponsored by Avocados From Mexico, is starting on March 1st with a line-up of 64 chefs who will develop avocado-inspired recipes through a possible 6 rounds of competition. Each week only half will make it through to the next round until there are only four remaining.  From those finalists, two will be selected to travel to San Diego for a live head-to-head competition on April 11th, 2016 where the final contestants will create an avocado-inspired menu in front of the city’s best chefs and culinary press for a chance to win some amazing prizes. Eeeek!

Since my friends have been encouraging me to venture more into the cooking world, and after seeing this contest with a serious passion for avocados, I figured why the heck not?! So here you have it folks. First round's an avocado-inspired sandwich/wrap recipe, so for preparation today, I made mini open faced turkey avocado sandwiches with Havarti cheese, sliced cucumber, roasted red pepper mayo, sprinkled with red pepper flakes. I've been making this for years and usually I just do a regular sandwich with all the same ingredients but I wanted to create something more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. And this would be a killer hors d'oeuvre /appetizer for a lunch/dinner party. I'm digging this open faced sandwiches' versatility! What do you guys think? I'm ready to hork these bad boys down, stat!

Wishing everyone a great week! Check y'all later! 😉

Love & xx's,

My Favorite Breakfast

Avocado, I love you. 💚

For the longest time, when it came to what I ate first thing in the morning, I only opted for coffee & cigarettes. I love sandwiches but before you mistaken me for Joey from F.R.I.E.N.D.S, what I love even more is open-faced sandwiches. And what seals the deal? A-V-O-C-A-D-O. I love avocado like a fat kid love cake! It goes well with so many different types of food but the combination I'm most crazy for is eggs and avocado. It's my favorite go-to breakfast on a daily basis.

Not only do I love the creamy, rich taste and texture of avocados, I'm also really down with the benefits of eating them. Did you know avocados have more potassium than bananas? Avocados are also a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids (my favorite source for healthy fat), and they have a low sugar content. They are also rich in fiber and are a good source of energy and contain a number of essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, phosphorus and zinc. They've also been known for lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels, preventing cancer and even aiding in the relief of arthritis! These green gems are packed with nutrients and may even help you lose weight.

Close-up of the avocado and egg open-faced sandwich. Yum!

The combination of egg and avocado is simply sublime. But my favorite way to cook eggs are sunny side up eggs. That or over-easy, or even poached. Heck, who am I kidding... I love eggs. Period. To go with my favorite brekkie, I always sprinkle some red pepper flakes to give the sandwich an extra zing to the dish. Since I also love spicy foods, I also eat this sandwich with either hot sauce or salsa (depending on what's in the fridge). It's such a party in your mouth!

Nothing like a glass of OJ to help wash it down! So refreshing, mmmm! :)

I am a huge coffee drinker but I've limited it to only one cup per day. So with my meal, I usually accompany it with a glass of orange juice or sometimes if I feel like being extra healthy, I'll do a green/fruit smoothie. I'll go this route after a strenuous run or training session with MaQ. What's your favorite kind of drink in the morning besides coffee? How many cups do you (truthfully) have per day? 😉

Salsa, salsa, salsa! 💃

And what did you have for breakfast today? What's your favorite, quick and easy recipe for the morning? I'm so glad to break bad habits. For the longest time I wouldn't even eat in the morning, as coffee and cigs do not count! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I truly feel the benefits of packing in some fuel to get my day going. Got questions about my favorite open-faced sandwich? Feel free to comment below, I always love hearing from other fellow bloggers and foodie lovers! Have a great Tuesday, everyone! 😘

Open-faced sandwich with egg and avocado. Yum!

Love & xx's,