On a cold rainy day, there's not much better than tomato soup and a grilled cheese sammich. Well, a flying motorcycle, of course. And talking cats. But those things are awesome any day. I'm talking about a specific kind of day, a specific kind of need.

Ultra Combo!

I know there's a lot of debate about which vegan cheese is the best--but we can circumnavigate that discussion with the help of our friend, the avocado. Somehow, the combination of avocado and tomato perfectly scratches the cheese (and strangely, fried egg) itch. This is something Amy and I have been really into lately: the scratching of the itch. You don't need a cheese analog, you just need to scratch the cheese itch. You don't need your MarkMuffin to taste like a real McMuffin(tm), you just want to satisfy that craving. Check it. Seriously.

Textbook Sammich Badassery

Grilled Avocado & Tomato Sammich

  • 2 slices of bread (ideally homemade)
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced thinly
  • 2 - 3 THIN slices of red onion
  • 3 thin slices of tomato
  • Earth Balance (tm)
  • (seasoned) salt, to taste.

This is almost as simple as a traditional grilled cheese. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Fire up a nonstick (or well-seasoned) pan over medium heat. Toss one piece of bread in the pan, buttered side down. Pile on the avocado, then the tomato, then the onion. Salt it. Place the other slice of bread on top, butter side up.

Binary Sammich System

When the bottom piece of bread is golden brown, you'll want to flip this sumbitch. This is the singular tricky part. You might want two spatulas--one underneath, and one to hold the top piece of bread on. Once it's flipped, continue cooking until the now-bottom piece is golden brown.

Obviously, you can eat this with whatever you want, but you'll get maximum enjoyment out of having this with tomato soup. In fact, this is a great way to stretch out a tomato soup. We had it with fresh bread the first night, croutons the second night, and with this sammich the third night. Huzzah!