Filipino Cheese Pimiento Sandwich

Healthier version of a Filipino favorite snack

When I went to visit my sisters in Los Angeles about three years ago, they took me to Island Pacific Grocery.  It was an awesome experience for me since we do not have such a place  where I came from, namely, Pittsburgh, Pa.  I was overwhelmed seeing every Filipino ingredients one could think of in the shelves.   They even had homemade dishes, pastries and delicacies in the food stands within the store.  I eyed cheese pimiento being sold in one of these food places and bought one.  It really brought me back to my childhood when I remember this being served for merienda or afternoon breaks or appetizers at gatherings. 

I recently had a craving for this popular Filipino snack and searched the web for the best recipe I could find.  After fiddling with several, I found one that came close to what I remembered cheese pimiento sandwiches to be like from childhood in filipino - food - recipes.com.  I then experimented with making a healthier version.  I replaced the butter with light Smart Balance and subsituted 2 % milk for the evaporated milk.  I then added Splenda sugar substitute to sweeten the mixture since I did not use evaporated milk which imparts a sweetish taste.  Even with these substitutions the result was what I was craving for. 

Try this recipe and you will be addicted to it like most Filipinos who grew up with it for their snack.  You can have it for your next lunch at work or pack it in our child's lunch box this coming school year.

Filipino Cheese Pimiento Sandwich

(adapted from filipino - food - recipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup American or Cheddar cheese or any other cheese shredded
• 3 tbsp finely chopped pimiento or roasted red pepper from a jar
• about 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 2 tbsp light Smart balance
• Pinch of pepper and salt
• 1 tsp Splenda sugar substitute

Mix the shredded cheese, pimiento and Smart Balance using a fork or small blender.

Add the milk gradually until you have spreading consistency.  You may not need all 1/4 cup.  

Season with salt and pepper.  Add Splenda.

Spread onto slices of white bread.  You can cut the crust if you like.

Notes:

1.  I used Monterey Jack cheese which was not as salty as American cheese.  Thus I added a tiny pinch of salt.

2.  If you are using American cheese or other type of salty cheese, you can skip the salt if you are watching your salt intake.

3.  If you use evaporated milk as in the original recipe, skip the Splenda.

4,  You do not need to melt the Smart Balance spread but you need to do so if using butter as in the original recipe.