Grilled Caprese-Zucchini Sandwiches

I love caprese sandwiches - and salads, for that matter, too. There is something so delectable about this simple combination but you need the freshest ingredients to truly make these sandwiches shine. Here, I purchased some freshly baked baguette, still toasty warm, from my farmer's market along with delicious, ripe heirloom tomatoes, crisp zucchini, and a huge bundle of freshly picked basil. I had to head to whole foods for creamy, buffalo mozzarella but splurged on the high quality version of the cheese. Finally, I picked out high quality olive oil. It's important not to skip on any ingredient here for the best result. It might cost a little more, but it's highly worth it.

Since I was planning on grilling these sandwiches, I also grabbed some sweet corn at the farmer's market as well. Grilling corn in the summer always tastes better than corn made in my kitchen, so I figured it's sweetness and freshness would be the perfect complement to these sandwiches.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 20 min
Cost: $11.25

Recipe and nutrition below the jump!



Grilled Caprese-Zucchini Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 good-sized zucchini
1 french baguette
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp black pepper
10 basil leaves
6 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella
1 large or 2 smaller heirloom tomatoes

OPTIONAL NOTE: Although I made my sandwich vegetarian, as described above and below, my boyfriend added some chicken to his. He just purchased some free-range cutlets and threw them on the grill. Then he stacked them onto the sandwich as we assembled the final product.

Get your grill heating. Cut off the ends of the zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. When the grill is hot, place the zucchini on the grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until browned and fully cooked.

As the zucchini is cooking, you can start building the sandwiches. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and then in the other direction as well so you have it in 2 sandwiches or 4 pieces. Lay each pair of slices next to each other so you can build two identical sandwiches.

Measure out the olive oil and brush a quarter of it on each piece of bread. Repeat with the balsamic vinegar as well and then with the black pepper, sprinkling it evenly among the bread pieces.

One side of each sandwich will contain the mozzarella and basil - the other matching side will take the tomato and zucchini and then you'll combine them at the end. Lay 5 basil leaves on one side of each sandwich. Place them evenly down the piece of baguette. Then, slice the mozzarella and lay those circle slices evenly on top of the basil, so you have two halves of a sandwich each dressed with basil and mozzarella.

Slice the heirloom tomato and evenly put those slices on the two remaining sandwich halves, which so far should only have olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. When the zucchini is done grilling, slice it and lay those slices on top of the tomato.

Carefully place all 4 sandwich halves on the grill. They will be piled high, so be gentle to keep anything from falling off. Grill for 3-4 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cheese melted.

Carefully remove from the grill and combine the two halves for one delicious sandwich. Enjoy while it's warm!

Servings: 2
Serving size: large sandwich! half a french baguette sized
Nutrition: calories 628; carbs 68g; fat 30g; protein 25g; sodium 923mg; iron 33mg