Meatless Monday: Grilled Mozza-Basil-Toe Sandwich with Butternut Squash Soup

Soup adapted from Organic Cookbook by Ysanne Spevack

Personal Note: I can cross one thing off my Bucket List. It’s true, I can’t make something up that pathetic, and that’s really just how sad my Bucket List is. Other random Bucket List items: paint toenails and do laundry. Aim low and hit it! Anyway, the soup making might seem like a lot, but it goes quickly and the techniques aren’t hard. It’s warm, flavorful and I left it a little chunky. I actually created a recipe! Mozza-Basil-Toe (I wanted to spell it t-o, but knew people would mispronounce it) is good clean eating fun!

Plan of Attack:

1. Prep veggies for roasting

2. Roast Veggies

3. Remove tomatoes and pepper, continue roasting squash/garlic

4. Prepare salsa topping

5. Finish soup and grill sandwiches

Ingredients for 4:

Soup:

2 garlic bulbs, outer papery skin removed

5 Tbsp olive oil

Fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried and the World didn’t end)

1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded

½ onion, chopped

1 tsp ground coriander (alias: cilantro)

5 C veggie stock/chicken stock (since it was a meatless day I chose veggie)

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the Salsa Topper:

4 large ripe tomatoes, halved and seeded

1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded

1 fresh chili pepper (I used a Serrano), halved and seeded

2 Tbsp olive oil

½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Mozza-Basil-Toe Sandwiches:

8 slices deli quality rye bread

4 oz fresh mozzarella

1 fresh tomato, sliced

Handful of fresh basil leaves (dried not kosher for this one)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place garlic bulbs on a piece of foil and pour 2.5 Tbsp olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with thyme, then fold the foil around the garlic bulbs covering them completely
2. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place halved butternut squash and brush with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the tomatoes, red bell pepper and hot chili pepper
3. Roast for 25 minutes, remove the tomatoes, red bell pepper and hot chili pepper
4. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and continue cooking squash and garlic for 20-25 minutes
5. Prepare the Salsa: skin the red bell pepper and tomatoes; add chili pepper and blender (or process) until smooth (or chunky if you prefer); add olive oil, vinegar and season with salt/pepper to taste
6. When you have about 10 minutes left on the last roast, heat a large pot to medium heat; add a sprinkle of olive oil, ground coriander (cilantro) and onions; sauté until softened
7. After taking the garlic and squash out of the oven use a hand protector to squeeze garlic from the bottom and the roasted garlic with come out the top; squeeze into the onion mixture
8. Add squash scooped out of its skin, the stock of your choice, salt and plenty of pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes (Just enough time to make your sandwiches!)
9. Heat skillet to medium-high or use a panini press. Take a slice of bread and top with tomato slices, mozzarella and basil. Place other slice on top and either use your press or cook in a skillet until cheese is melted and the bread is browned on both sides. Repeat until all sandwiches are made.
10. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info, per 1 C of Soup:

120 calories

4.6 g total fat (0.8 saturated)

0 mg cholesterol

15.7 g carbohydrates

4.6 g fiber

5 g protein

1 Sandwich, approx.:

226 calories

7 g total fat (0.8 saturated)

30 g carbohydrates

4.6 g fiber

12 g protein