First off, Happy Halloween everyone!! While Halloween is not one of my most favorite holidays (I am more of a Thanksgiving and Christmas kind of girl), I still appreciate and enjoy the sentiments of dressing up in costumes and eating tasty Fall-like treats. I am pretty sure that we are all very aware that Fall screams pumpkin and squash. I honestly am not sure if I have gone a day in the month of October without having eaten at least one serving of these tasty Fall foods.
I may be going pumpkin/squash crazy, but I have also been going crazy for my other favorite Fall-like food: apples! I have been incorporating them into my overnight oats, eating them as snacks, making homemade applesauce, throwing them into my favorite soup, and now…
…put them in my sandwiches! Combining three of my favorite foods – apples, peanut butter, and bread – just makes sense, don’t you think?
Grilled Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwich
Servings: Makes 1 sandwich
Ingredients
olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray
2 TB coconut oil
2 pieces sprouted or whole wheat bread (I used Ezekiel brand)
2-3 TB peanut butter
1/3 apple, sliced (I used a Gala apple)
Directions
1. Slice your apple into pieces that are about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Spread one side of each piece of bread with coconut oil. Set aside.
3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.
4. Place one slice of bread onto the skillet, coconut oil side down.
5. Spread this piece of bread with peanut butter.
6. Top the peanut butter with the apple slices.
7. Top with additional peanut butter, if desired.
8. Place the second piece of bread on top, coconut oil side up.
9. Cook the sandwich over medium-low heat for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Carefully flip the sandwich and cook the second piece of bread for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
11. Cut your sandwich at a diagonal. This is a pretty important step ;). Or, should you choose, cut it in half or eat it whole. I highly recommend the diagonal cut, though! There is just something so cozy and homey about it to me.
The flavors and textures involved in this sandwich are taaaasty. We are talking crispy bread, crunchy apples, and creamy peanut butter. Basically, this is a good sandwich. Oh, and did I mention that it is pretty much impossible to mess up? You really can’t find a more simple “recipe.”
This sandwich is also super versatile and can be changed up to meet your cravings. You can use any type of nut or seed butter in place of the peanut butter- think almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter. All of these would be delicious compliments to the apples and bread. You can also change up the flavor of the sandwich by using either a sweet apple or a sour apple. And finally, great creative with add-ins. I have a feeling that adding cinnamon would be a great compliment and that adding a drizzle of caramel or honey would really take this sandwich over the edge.
I think it is official. Fall is probably my favorite time for seasonal foods, and this sandwich is part of the reason why.
What are you dressing up for Halloween as this year?
My team at work is dressing up as the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Prize Patrol. Hopefully I”ll have some awesome pictures to share soon! 😉
