With so many different foods to choose in the world, my favorite is the classic grilled cheese sandwich. You can add toppings, change the cheese, and make it your own. This week I decided to make a new take on a grilled cheese sandwich, filled with healthy vegetables: harissa and avocado grilled cheese.

Harissa is an Arabic pepper paste with ingredients like bell peppers, garlic, cumin, and coriander, which are all filled with vitamins and antioxidants. Low-calorie bell peppers power your immune system and keep your skin healthy with a high dose of vitamin C. The main flavoring of the paste, cumin, is one of the healthiest spices you can consume. The ground-up seeds, which can be purchased at your local grocery store, keep blood pressure stable, improve your iron levels, and kill your bacteria, which boosts your immune system. As well as cumin, lime juice is a vital flavor in this pepper paste. The juice is high in vitamin C and fiber, which can help to prevent heart disease, boost weight loss, and keep your digestion system working well.

Besides the harissa, another major ingredient of this sandwich is the avocado. As one of the “superfoods” of the year, avocados are a must-have part of your diet. They are filled with dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, and potassium. They promote heart health, support your cardiovascular health, and promote your blood sugar regulation. They even contain chemicals compounds that prevent cancer!

Although this recipe calls for wheat sourdough bread, you can use any type of bread that you have. I used multigrain rustic bread from Trader Joe’s. This super-healthy bread has many heart-healthy grains such as oats, buckwheat, and flax, which will give you energy and boost your immune system. It took about 20 minutes to make the harissa and cook the sandwiches. Enjoy!

Instructions:

Harissa

•          2 cloves of garlic
•          1 roasted bell pepper
•          2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
•          1 teaspoon of cumin powder
•          1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
•          2 tablespoons of olive oil
•          Juice from one lime
•          1/3 cup of cilantro

Grilled Cheese

•          4 slices of wheat sourdough bread
•          Olive oil, for brushing sandwich
•          1 ripe avocado, sliced
•          3 ounces of Taleggio cheese

Directions:

1. To roast the bell pepper, put it under a broiler or over a stovetop on an open flame, rotating occasionally until the pepper is soft and charred.
2. In a blender or a food processor, pulse the garlic until it is minced. Add the remaining ingredients for the harissa and pulse until they are all well combined.
3. Preheat a grill or regular pan and heat over medium-low. Brush the outsides of the bread with olive oil. Place the bread, olive oil side down, in the grill pan, and smear two tablespoons of harissa onto the bread and layer with the sliced avocado and cheese. Spread 1-2 more tablespoons of the harissa on the remaining slice of bread and place on top of the sandwich, olive oil side up.
4. Cook the sandwich on each side until the bread is crisp and the cheese has melted.         .