One of my favorite week night meals as a little girl was something my mom made with pantry staples. A nice piece of bread, piled with tuna and topped with a slice of Kraft cheese. My mom would turn on the broiler and melt the cheese until it started to bubble and began to brown. Simple pleasures.

These days, Kraft cheese doesn’t always cut it. Call me a food snob or whatever, but sometimes a girl needs something with a little more sophistication- am I right?

Back to the point- I experienced the same delectable simplicity in sandwich form during our second week after moving to Tokyo. Yep, that’s right. The inspiration for this sandwich, oddly enough, comes from a restaurant here in Tokyo called Uncle Sam’s. Their sandwiches are comfort food for me when I don’t really want something sea weedy or raw fishy.

Brad had the day off on Monday and instead of spending all our time in the kitchen (which is usually find with me, but Brad always gets stuck with the dishes) we made this really easy sandwich.

Here is the recipe. I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think!

Grilled Tuna Sandwiches with Cheese and Avocado
Makes 2 sandwiches


4 slices of multi-grain bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can tuna, drained and rinsed (packed in oil if you can find it)
3 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons yellow or dijon mustard (or to taste)
salt and black pepper to taste
2 slices gouda, swiss or cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced

Brush the bread with the olive oil. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the tuna, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.

Make the sandwiches with the tuna and cheese only to start. Place the sandwiches in a panini grill, George Foreman grill (this is what I use), or heat on the stove top in a pan until the cheese melts. Remove the sandwiches from grill, take of the bread slice without the cheese and top with the avocado slices. EAT!