Braaibroodjie( Panini) : Stop Pinning and Start Doing! And a small step towards saving the Earth!

The thing about sandwiches is, you want to try every one of them. Not that it helps to decide which one you like better, just helps in choosing from a wide repertoire that you have built up, the next time you crave one.

It also helps to have a Pinterest account. There are tons of things that catch my fancy and I pin them on my board. It is amazing ( and humbling) at how much people know or how  many are into DIY-ing. I get my ' craft bug through here! I like the simple tutorials ( I choose the *simplest* of the simple, for those who 'really' read the posts, know about the missing craft gene and how I rarely try anything that is a combination of DIY, cut, glue and paint etc. But Pinterest and Ashwini, of Indulge-Ashcorner blog have me hooked to a few things. Soap Making and Lotion bars are two of the simplest things I have tried and successfully at that! Yaay!  

DIY aside, I pin a lot of food pins too ( but natural) and drool over many recipes, some simple some complex ( well, not so complex, I am mostly into simple things. Why complicate things more than they already are?) 

So to add to my Sandwich love, I have for you Braaibroodjie 

If you just said, Braabayabadabadoo, I quite understand. I did too! 

If you want a simple name, it is South African Cheese, Grilled Onion and Tomato Panini. As simple as that!

I just wanted you all to try saying Braaibroodjie! 

I  made a few changes, which I will list after the recipe. 

What made me try this sandwich is the use of Fruit Chutney.  This was  different for me, I have heard of fruit chutneys and tried one so far.  The idea of using it in a sandwich caught my fancy and I was longing to. 
This is also my entry for the  Stop Pinning and Start Doing  Pinterest Challenge Fall Edition                                                 

                                       

I made this for our Sunday Morning Breakfast. Daylight saving, I love it! I woke up at my usual body clock time and  was up an hour early. no, I did not roll back into bed and doze off, instead I had a leisurely cup of chai  and a long chat with my parents and surfed the net and decided to make this for breakfast.
   

The Recipe  adapted from the Kitchn and what you need for one sandwich is:

2 Slices of white bread ( I used French bread)
2 Scallions, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/2 Cup White Cheddar cheese, grated ( I  had regular sharp cheese, used that instead)
1 Tomato, sliced
Fruit chutney ( I used Mango chutney- store brought)
Oil
Butter

The original recipe uses a grill, I do not have one, instead, I used my reliable Cast-Iron skillet.

Heat the grill / skillet until hot, add 2 tsp oil and toss in the scallions and  grill until soft and  brown. Set aside. 
If you are well prepared to assemble the sandwich, lower the heat under the skillet to low and start the assembly

On one slice of the bread, sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese.
Lay tomato slices on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add cheese
Lay the scallions on top and top with cheese

On the second slice of bread, spread the chutney and cover the sandwich.
Slather the top of the slice with butter and transfer the buttered slice down  to the skillet and press down the sandwich . Turn, after buttering the second side( after a minute or so, after the side is brown and crisp).
Grill on both sides till golden brown

Serve.

Notes: 

You can use Whole Wheat bread if you do not eat white bread. It will change the taste.  I recommend White.

Use White Sharp Cheddar. I did not read carefully and got regular (yellow) sharp cheddar.  We liked the sandwich, no doubt, but next time, I will try the original.

The original recipe uses a Panini Press. I do not have one. 

Sliced red onion can be used instead of scallions. I plan to do  that the next time.

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I also want to send this post to Ashwini and her event Save the Earth, which focuses on  reducing wastage, reusing  material around the house and recycling stuff and lead a greener life.
While I am no expert or even any authority on this matter, I do some things in my day to day life and take a small step to lead a greener life.
I am sure you all do the same, but if you do things differently ( I am sure many of you do) Please feel free to share your ideas in the comment section.

I make it a point to switch off the lights and fan when exiting the room. This  is an old idea and we all know about it, but consider this, the next time you forget to switch off the  lights, there are people today who do not have any or regular electricity. Look no further than New York, Sandy has disrupted their life!  It is Fall and the temperature dips to low, on such cold days and colder nights, people are without power, no heat, no hot water! Old folks and young children are suffering. 

Use water carefully. I do not mean be stingy, but little things help. Do not leave the faucet running when you are brushing your teeth or when cleaning up in the kitchen after a cooking session. 
My Father always reminded me when brushing my teeth. He told me of the hardships he had faced when young and living in Bijapur, Karnataka. Of the times when summer was intolerable and water scarce.  
I am thankful that I never had to face these hardships but that does not mean I misuse  the privileges either. 

When out shopping use your own cloth shopping bag. This is not a new fad. I have seen my Grandmother following this rule since my childhood and so has my Mother! On my last visit to India, I got back my old bag, stuffed with goodies ( it can take a lot of weight!) 

These are very convenient and fold up too! Such a small pouch in your purse!
You can buy one, like this, tough I am not sure if they have the fold-away-pouch, for $1 at the grocery store. Every store carries them! 

The other thing I used to do ( sadly, in the past tense) was use yogurt containers to store my beans, sugar, tea etc in the pantry. but after a while it became  a problem- Out of  sight, out of mind! Since these containers are not transparent, I could not see the contents and many a times, I would neglect some containers and have also ended up buying extra beans thinking I had none. So now, I use these containers as seed starters!
When I go out, I carry my own bottle of water, the reusable one I have at home. 

We have, in the past, moved a lot. new apartments, new city, new state. I save my U-Haul boxes  and re-use them. These are very sturdy and last up to 4 uses!  Open them and lay them flat and store, they do not take up any space! 

I store my comforters, woolens in Space Bags saving space and clothes also remain fresh. This is no big deal and many of you may not consider it going green, but IMHO, once I remove these woolens from the bag, they are fresh, do not smell at all and no need to wash them! 

We use space heaters instead of using the furnace during fall, as and when needed. Dallas is not a cold place and small space heaters work well, saving electricity and heating the entire apartment when we use just one or 2 rooms at most. Of course as winter sets in, we do not hold back, we switch on the heat. 

I try to use household  items in cleaning as much as I can, for example baking soda, lemon, vinegar are efficient cleansers, not to mention pure and green! Google to find a cleaning solution that suits your purpose.

Carpool when possible.

On a lighter note, I do not iron my clothes until absolutely necessary! The husband calls it being lazy to boot, I call it energy conservation! 

Some more steps I plan on taking:

We have a lot of old clothes, the good ones go into the donation box. The ones which are not good or torn and frayed  will be used as cleaning cloths, in the kitchen. To wipe down counter-tops, appliances.

Compost  (a dear friend has recently installed a small composter in  her yard and I plan on contributing to it.

Any ideas, from you, dear reader, are welcome! 

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