Say goodbye to ordinary grilled cheese and hello to Blueberry Grilled Farmer Cheese Sandwich. Sweet meets savory while crunchy meets creamy for the ultimate flavor-packed, texture-packed, and protein-packed grilled cheese sandwich yet! For this recipe, we’ve refined a classic lunchtime staple by making a grilled cheese sandwich with creamy, high-protein Lifeway Farmer Cheese and combining it with a sweet homemade blueberry compote and a refreshing layer of mint pesto.
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health.
Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, support the digestive system, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1. Lifeway Kefir also contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health including vitamins D3, K, and B 12 along with calcium and potassium. Along with our kefir, we also offer our creamy, cultured Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a high protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that’s easy to spread and contains no added salt or sugar.
Prep Time: 20 mins Servings: 2Ingredients
Sandwich:
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 1 tbsp. Salted Kefir Butter
- 2/3 cup Farmer Cheese
Blueberry Compote:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp. raw honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot starch
Mint Pesto:
- 1 cup packed mint and basil
- 1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
- 1/2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
Directions
- To make the blueberry compote, heat blueberries, raw honey or maple syrup, 1 tbsp of water, and cornstarch or arrowroot starch in a pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 min uncovered until the compote is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in lemon juice and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the mint pesto, combine mint and basil, sunflower seeds, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon, and salt in a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse until smooth.
- To make each sandwich, spread Lifeway Kefir Butter on both slices of bread. Heat a skillet over medium heat and place one slice in the pan butter side down, followed by the mint pesto, Lifeway Farmer Cheese ,and blueberry compote. Place the other slice on top, buttered side facing up. Be careful not to press it down or the filling may squish out. Cook until golden brown then flip and repeat for the other side. Enjoy!
