Gluten free rye style toast with honey balsamic-glazed pears, Swiss cheese and arugula! A delicious vegetarian meal perfect for a quick lunch, appetizer, or post workout recovery meal or snack! Balanced with gluten free whole grain carbs, protein, and healthy fats!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
Have you ever woken up the next day so sore and asked yourself, “what the heck did I do to feel so sore?” No? Just me? Haha, I seriously doubt that. But honestly, I think the main cause of that is not from what you did (unless it was new workout) but rather, what you didn’t do. Like eat enough healthy carbs to restore glycogen in the muscles. Or protein to rebuild and restore the muscles. Or water to rehydrate the body and the muscles. Um, you get what I’m saying here, right?
Sometimes it’s not the workout or the training run itself that makes us sore, but more the LACK of proper recovery. Yep, that refuel window is pretty darn crucial. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way and so has my husband.
Which leads me to today’s totally awesome and super delicious “recovery meal” recipe.
You remember my last vegetarian recovery sandwich, right? The cherry, provolone, and basil grilled cheese? Gah, so good! And of course you don’t need to be an athlete to enjoy that delicious gluten free sandwich, but it does help to know it’s powerhouse nutritional perks!
But since cherry season is over (sigh), I thought I’d share another favorite recovery meal that is in season. I’ll get all dorky on you and talk about these SUPER FOOD ingredients and why they play a key role in recovery and in general health!
First, I’d like to thank Udis for sending me their new fabulous gluten free RYE BREAD!
This gluten free rye toasts up great and makes for a perfect healthy carb choice.
Plus I love that it contains caraway seed, which we will talk about below!
Superfood gluten free rye bread ingredients:
Caraway Seed (in the Gluten free Rye toast)- Great source of minerals, including Manganese. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the SUPER anti-oxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Oh and did you know that they use caraway seed extraction in topical cream to soothe sore muscles? Very cool, although I don’t recommend you rub the bread on your muscles. It’s much better ingested. Yes, I am being funny.
Pears – Oh YAY! Pears are in season. And this lovely red Bartlett pear is super packed with carotenoids and other phytonutrients. These phytonutrients provide us with many anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant benefits and have been shown to help reduce oxidative stress in the body. Less oxidative stress means FASTER recovery! Oh and bonus fact, pears are low in acid which make them easier a little easier to digest than other citrus and stone fruits. (Source)
Arugula – Also known as Salad Rocket. Funny story there. When we lived in New Zealand, every deli or restaurant had “rocket salad” on their menu. I just thought it was supposed to be a POWER salad or something. Haha, I quickly learned that I was wrong. Anyway, back to Arugula. This spicy green is packed with Vitamin K2, which we need for bone health. Arugula is also very high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), which means HELLO ANTI-OXIDANTS! YES!
Swiss – “HOLEY” grail of cheese. You see what I did there? Okay, but really, Swiss cheese is awesome. Low lactose, high quality protein and amino acids, Calcium, Vitamin D3, and again rich in Vitamin K. But what’s really awesome about Swiss cheese (or good quality cheese in general) is the combo of Vitamin D3, Calcium, and Fat soluble Vitamin K2 work synergistically to protect your bones, heart, and brain. (source)
Honey combined with the Pears – Natural sugars to restore glycogen and honey is great for immunity!
Have I talked enough to get you hungry for this gluten free rye toast? I hope so. Nutrition Nerd talk always makes me hungry.
3–4 oz baby swiss cheese or vegan cheese of choice (Daiya cheese works great!)
1 cup arugula salad
Black pepper
Sea salt
Instructions
First toast your rye bread and set aside.
Slice your pear into strips and add honey, dash of sea salt, and balsamic vinegar to a small pan and sautee on medium heat for about 5 minutes. HOney will bubble a little bit.
Next place your cheese on your toast and place under over or toaster oven on medium heat until melted.
Place a small bunch of arugula on top of cheese and then add about 3 or 4 slices of pear on top of that.
Drizzle with the remaining glaze from the pan.
Garnish with a pinch of sea salt on each
Per Slice
Now you must try this recipe and feed those muscles! Or just try it because glazed pears with cheese on gluten free rye are pretty darn tasty, just sayin…
Since Pears are now in season, have you grabbed some yet?
What about on a sandwich? I’m thinking brie and pear are next on the list!
Hi, y'all, I’m Lindsay Cotter, a Nutrition Specialist with a focus on Gluten Free eating. I love creating delicious nourishing food that anyone can enjoy.
