Grilled "Teese" Sandwich with Red Lentil-Tomato Soup and Tuscan-Style Greenbeans

I was low on groceries and all three of us were out and about to different destinations, so when I came home and found that my wife had picked up some fresh sourdough bread, I decided to feature that in our dinner. The local soup chef this week had Roasted Corn Soup with Fresh Chives as one soup and Red Lentil-Tomato Soup with Tiny Herb Dumplings - but she left the dumplings out of ours as they were not vegan.

When we were in Asheville, NC a few weeks back, I picked up some vegan Teese cheeses made by Chicago Soydairy. I recently was reading at the gym about reinventing the classic American grilled cheese sandwich, and that left a little idea in my mind. I used the open pack of Teese that I had, mozzarella, and made a grilled "teese" sandwich. I "buttered" (with Earth Balance margarine) the top and bottom of the sandwich then cooked it over medium-low till it was golden brown, then flipped to brown the other side. For my wife, I made a simple French toast by "buttering" each side of two slices of bread and grilling them - she avoids non-fermented soy as it upsets her stomach.

I loved my sandwich! I was reminded later that the folks from the company were vendors at a conference I attended a few summers ago, and they served these grilled sandwiches which were good! I served the sandwich with organic pickle slices. I also briefly cooked in a little oil some greenbeans then mixed in salt and Volcano Lime Burst (water, organic lime juice, and lemon oil - but just lemon or lime juice would have been fine).

Incidentally, I came up last night with a great flavor combination. I put a few drops of the Volcano Lime Burst on cold watermelon - wow!