Fancy Grilled Cheese with Golden Fig Jam

Hotel Room Version:

With a kitchen knife, spread 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil on each slice of bread. Layer the uncooked tempeh bacon, pear slices, cheddar cheese, and golden fig jam on top of one slice. Place the other slice of bread on top. Wrap the sandwich in parchment paper, covering both sides of the bread slices.

Using 1 or 2 clothing irons, put them on their highest setting. One they are hot enough, place the sandwich wrapped in parchment paper between the two irons and heat the sandwich for 3-4 minutes until the sandwich sizzles, the bread turns golden brown, and the cheese melts. Be careful not to burn the parchment paper. Remove the sandwich from between the clothing irons, unwrap from the parchment paper, and serve immediately.

Kitchen Version:

In a small skillet on medium high, melt 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil and add the tempeh. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

While tempeh is cooking, fire up your panini press and coat your bread slices with the remaining coconut oil. Once the press is hot enough, heat your bread for about 1 minute, then transfer the bread to a plate.

Layer the bread with the cooked tempeh bacon, pear slices, vegan cheddar cheese, and golden fig jam. Return the sandwich to the panini press and grill for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until bread is crispy around the edges, golden brown in color, and the cheese is fully melted. Serve immediately.