Credit: Joshua Holz

Maybe your local, beloved coffee shop^[1] got you hooked as a kid. Or maybe your addiction started with the Egg McMuffin, which you now consider barely edible. Regardless of your gateway drug to the sunny side, there's no denying it: The egg and cheese is an under-sung hero of the sandwich world. While most let a greasy slice (or five) of bacon shine as the pièce de résistance, in the signature egg and cheese sandwich recipe from new cookbook, Whole Protein Vegetarian^[2] by Rebecca Ffrench, you won't even miss it. Hell, you may even like it better. And with a hearty 25 grams of protein in each sandwich, this vegetarian breakfast is anything but light and skimpy.

RELATED: Baked Eggs, 5 Ways^[3]

Classic Egg and Cheese Sandwich

The humble egg and cheese on a roll is invariably satisfying. However, this dependable sandwich can also get dressed up — and may just surprise you. Try a fried tomato, avocado slice, and sautéed spinach on whole-grain ciabatta, and you’re likely to fall in love, too.

• 4 whole-grain ciabatta rolls or other hearty rolls, cut in half
  
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 4 oz white cheddar cheese, thickly sliced
  
• 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
  
• Kosher salt
  
• 1 large tomato, sliced
  
• freshly ground black pepper
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 1 avocado, sliced

Serves 4 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly butter the rolls and place them flat side up on the prepared baking sheet. Top with the cheese slices. Place the rolls in the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds, then add the spinach, sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt, and sauté until wilted, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove the spinach from the pan but keep the heat on. Next, lightly fry the tomato in the pan for about 1 minute on each side, again sprinkling each with salt and pepper. Remove them from the pan. Check your rolls if you haven’t done so already, and pull them out of the oven so you can slide a tomato slice directly onto each of the bottom rolls.

Add the remaining 2 tsp olive oil to the pan and continue to heat over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry sunny-side up until the whites start to set, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove the eggs from the pan when the yolks are runny but whites are completely cooked, about another minute or so. To assemble your sandwiches, lay a slice or two of avocado on top of the tomato, then add an egg and top with a spoonful of sautéed spinach and the top bun. Serve immediately.

References

1. ^{^} local, beloved coffee shop (www.mensjournal.com)
2. ^{^} Whole Protein Vegetarian (www.amazon.com)
3. ^{^} RELATED: Baked Eggs, 5 Ways (www.mensjournal.com)

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Every year Jameson hands over the reigns for its iconic bottle's label to an artist of note, to do something different and original in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

It's a good time of the year for something different: while global sales have skyrocketed in recent years for the Irish whiskey category, St. Patrick's remains the biggest drinking occasion for the spirit worldwide.

So when you go out to grab a last minute bottle to celebrate, or for the next few weeks, you're going to see a different face on Jameson. And since you might need something to talk about in the late hours of passing the bottle back and forth across the bar, we thought you should know what you’re looking at.

The bottle design is the work of Dublin graffiti artist James Earley,^[1] whose work is heavily influenced by the stained glass his family created for over a century, much of which still catches the light around Dublin.

RELATED: Irish Whiskey Comes of Age: A Primer
^[2]

"There are many churches within the city center that people can experience Earley Studio windows," says Earley. "If you know where to look, there's a lot of them dotted around the city. Outside of Dublin there are plenty throughout Ireland, and then further afield, with works as far flung as South America and Australia." 

James began painting his signature stained glass style in 2009. His family ran Earley Studios, a firm specializing in stained glass artworks. Based in the city centre of Dublin, the business ran from 1864 to 1975.

"When I began work on the limited edition bottle design," says Earley, "Jameson contacted me and sent me an open enough brief: What does Dublin mean to you?" The bottle Earley has designed for Jameson is a pastiche of architectural nods to Dublin and that stained-glass style Earley and his family populated the city with over the years.

Earley says he wanted to incorporate those architectural achievements into his story. "The bridges of Dublin have always fascinated me," he says. "Not only are they feats of engineering and things of aesthetic beauty, they also tell a tale of a city's development and growth over time. I associate certain bridges with different times in my life. For example, one of the bridges (Grattan Bridge) connects to Capel Street. On the street, there’s an old car accessories shop that I used to go to, to buy my paint when I was 16."

The spirit inside, of course, is the same as always. You're just enjoying a bit of extra Irish culture with it — a special moment in Jameson's long history that won't be around as long as some of the Earley family’s other works.

Get the latest in gear, fitness, travel & more delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up now^[3] for the Men’s Journal newsletter.

References

1. ^{^} James Earley, (www.jamesearleyart.com)
2. ^{^} RELATED: Irish Whiskey Comes of Age: A Primer (www.mensjournal.com)
3. ^{^} Sign up now (www.mensjournal.com)

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Men are cooking slightly more than they have in recent American history, and for many men, that means grilling. Which is great, except that the way most people do it spells trouble for both their health and the environment. What do experts suggest to combat these issues? More veggies, of course. 

"The increased popularity of grilling, especially during spring and summer months, has helped to continue the stability of red meat purchases in grocery stores even as it declines in restaurants," explains Arlin Wasserman, a partner at sustainable food strategy firm Changing Tastes^[1]. 

It doesn't have to be that way. Wasserman is part of an emergent group of sustainable food proponents who see the intersection of diet and the environment as a potential win for both people and the planet. Dieticians are increasingly focusing on the idea of a "green" diet, and this year, for the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering incorporating environmental concerns into its dietary guidelines.

RELATED: How to Make Your Own Relish 
^[2]

"Environmental concerns aren't just a 'feel-good' thing, there are real health overlaps, whether it's protecting your health from things like hormones or antibiotics in meat, or getting more nutrients out of food by choosing pasture-raised animal products," says Kate Geagan, nutritionist and author of Go Green, Get Lean.^[3]

Greening your grill also doesn't have to mean sacrificing flavor or going vegan. With help from Geagan and Wasserman, we've put together the following five tips for eco- and waist-friendly grilling that will boost flavor and turn your basic Sunday barbecue into a culinary feast.

1. Go veggie crazy 
Vegetables are often an after-thought at the grill, with the token mushroom thrown on for your vegetarian friend, but top chefs throughout the country are beginning to show us how amazing grilled veggies can be. Wasserman suggests grilling a carrot in the manner of a hotdog -- parboiling it, marinating it with soy or Worcestshire sauce or your own concoction, and then either slow-roasting it on the grill or cooking it at high heat, or a combination of both so you get both the slow-smoked flavor and the charred ridges. Geagan also recommends radicchio or brussels sprouts on the grill in summer, and Wasserman points out that you can take advantage of the smoke even with vegetables that might fall apart on the grill -- just throw them into a cast iron pan with olive oil, garlic, and herbs, and let them cook alongside your meats.

2. Size matters. 
Like many sustainable food advocates, Wasserman says he thinks meat is a big environmental problem, but he also wants to sit out in the summer and have a burger and a beer. "Rather than getting a quarter of the people in the country to go vegetarian, we could turn our 8-ounce burgers into 6-ounce burgers, and add two ounces of veggies, either to the patty, the finished burger, or as a side, and get the exact same result for human health and the environment," he says. In addition to reducing the size of the burger patty, Wasserman suggests adding creative toppings -- from traditional toppings like lettuce and tomato to more inventive options like homemade chutneys and relishes -- to add flavor and girth to burgers.

3. Consider stuffing and kebab-ing.
We eat with our eyes as much as our stomachs, and adding color to our meats, via rolling vegetables into meats before grilling them, or creating kebabs with vegetables spaced between meat or seafood, is a great way to add both color and nutrients to a basic grilled dish.

4. Grill dessert. 
Grilled fruits take on a caramel texture that elevates fruit from the world's most boring dessert to a perfectly sweet finish. Go for peaches, pineapple, really anything that won't fall apart on the grill.

Feeling adventurous? Sign up now^[4] for the Men’s Journal newsletter & keep up with the latest in gear, style, travel, and news.

References

1. ^{^} Changing Tastes (changingtastes.net)
2. ^{^} RELATED: How to Make Your Own Relish  (www.mensjournal.com)
3. ^{^} Go Green, Get Lean. (www.amazon.com)
4. ^{^} Sign up now (www.mensjournal.com)

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