Skinny sandwiches: a balanced meal you can eat with one hand

Here's the skinny on hot sandwiches: There's more to life than grilled cheese. Though that's certainly not a bad beginning, the fat count can be a concern. For a healthy but still cheese-rich change of pace, try combining lightly sauteed portobello mushrooms or eggplant with low-fat varieties of smoked mozzarella and chevre--both cheeses are so full of flavor that a little goes a long way. And prepared foods such as refried beans and salsa mean you can omit the cheese altogether, as we did in the Huevos Rancheros Taco-wiches. Add a little gourmet panache with a specialty bread, serve your masterpiece alongside a steaming bowl of soup (another low-cal winter fave) and you've got a satisfying meal, any way you stack it.

SPINACH-MUSHROOM MELTS

Serves 4 * 30 minutes or fewer

A savory, supper-worthy sandwich.

8 oz. portobello mushroom
  caps (about 4 medium),
  stemmed
2 Tbs. pine nuts
1 Tbs. olive oil
4 green onions (white and pale
  green parts), thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1/2 lb. fresh spinach, stemmed
  and coarsely chopped
4 slices country bread, 1/2-inch
  thick, lightly toasted
3/4 cup shredded smoked
  mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Wipe tops of mushroom caps.
Using spoon, remove gills from
inside caps, and discard. Cut caps
in quarters, and thinly slice.

3. Toast pine nuts in large non-stick
skillet over medium-high
heat, stirring often, until golden
and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer pine nuts to bowl.

4. Heat 1/2 Tbs. oil in same skillet
over medium-high heat. Add
mushrooms and green onions,
and cook, stirring often, until
mushrooms begin to soften,
4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Transfer
mushroom mixture to large bowl.

5. Add remaining 1/2 Tbs. oil to
skillet, and heat over medium-high
heat. Add garlic, and cook,
stirring, 15 seconds. Add spinach,
and toss until wilted, about
2 minutes. Remove from heat, and
add to mushroom mixture; toss to
combine. Stir in pine nuts.

6. Arrange bread slices on baking
sheet; top with spinach-mushroom
mixture, dividing equally, and
sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake
5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Serve sandwiches warm.

PER SERVING: 240 CAL; 12G PROT; 11G TOTAL FAT (3G SAT. FAT); 26G CARB; 10MG CHOL; 330MG SOD; 4G FIBER; 4G SUGARS

GRILLED CHEESE
WITH FIG AND BASIL

Serves 4 * 30 minutes or fewer

Fresh basil and fig preserves
transform good ol' grilled cheese
into a sophisticated sandwich.
Honey-lovers will like this recipe
as is; others may prefer the less-sweet
honey-free rendition.

4 oz. chevre (soft
  goat cheese)
1 Tbs. honey, optional
8 thin slices cinnamon-raisin
  bread
2 tsp. minced fresh basil
2 Tbs. fig preserves

1. Combine chevre and honey, if
using, in bowl, and mix until well
blended. Spread about 1 Tbs.
mixture on each of 4 bread slices;
top with 1/2 tsp. basil each. Spread
remaining slices of bread with
1 1/2 tsp. fig preserves. Close
sandwiches, and lightly coat
both sides with cooking spray.

2. Heat large nonstick skillet over
medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches
to skillet. Place heavy skillet or
pot on top of sandwiches; press
gently to flatten. Cook 3 minutes
on each side, or until bread is
lightly toasted (leave skillet or pot
on sandwiches while they cook).
Repeat with remaining
sandwiches. Serve warm.

PER SERVING: 280 CAL; 10G PROT; 10G TOTAL FAT (5G SAT. FAT); 40G CARB; 30MG CHOL; 320MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 20G SUGARS

CHICKPEA AND EGGPLANT
PITA POCKETS

Serves 6 * Vegan
30 minutes or fewer

Cumin and mint complement
succulent eggplant and chickpeas
in these stuffed pita pockets.

6 4-inch pita breads
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. Japanese eggplant,
  unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch
  cubes
1 1/4 cups chopped sweet onions,
  preferably Vidalia
1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas,
  drained, 1/2 cup liquid
  reserved
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. ground cumin
3 Tbs. minced fresh mint

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Stack pitas in foil, and wrap.
Bake until heated through, about
10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in large
nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat. Add eggplant and onions,
and cook, stirring often, until
softened and beginning to brown,
about 10 minutes. Add chickpeas,
lemon juice and cumin, and
cook, stirring occasionally, about
5 minutes, or until heated
through. If mixture seems dry,
add enough chickpea liquid
to moisten. Stir in mint. Season
to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Remove pitas from oven,
and fill with eggplant mixture.
Serve warm.

PER SERVING: 224 CAL; 11G PROT; 6.5G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 58G CARB; 0MG CHQL; 541MG SOD; 8G FIBER; 7G SUGARS

HUEVOS RANCHOS
TACO-WICH

Serves 4 * 30 minutes or fewer

Using hard-boiled eggs and
draining the prepared salsa creates
a simple, irresistible twist on two
favorite Mexican dishes--soft
tacos and huevos rancheros.

1 cup prepared salsa
4 low-fat or low-carb 8-inch
  flour tortillas
3/4 cup vegetarian refried beans
3 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced

1. Place salsa in strainer over bowl
or in sink to drain excess liquid.
Let stand 5 minutes.

2. Spread tortillas with 3 Tbs.
refried beans each. Arrange 5 or
6 slices of egg on bottom half of
each tortilla. Top each with
3 Tbs. salsa. Fold tortillas in half.

3. Warm in microwave on high
power 1 minute, or until heated
through. Serve immediately.