Possibly the Best Zuchini Ever and Croque Monsieur Light

Simple, easy, and oh, so tasty!

Best Zucchini Ever:

Make an aluminum foil packet with sliced zucchini, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, and a pat of earth balance spread.  Cover with a generous sprinkling of Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle.

Place the pack on the grill and cook until the vegetables become soft and are beginning to brown.  For the last 5 minutes, top with a thick layer of Gruyere cheese.  Cook until melted.  Enjoy!  Best thing- nothing to clean up after!

I served this with grilled chicken breasts and pasta with marinara sauce.

Um, so what is Gruyere cheese?

Last week, we went out to eat and I chose a sandwich on the menu called a "Croque Monsieur."  If you ever have a chance, order one.  It's very cheesy, creamy, and tasty.  I wanted to recreate it at home, but with less calories and cream, so this is the Croque Monsieur Light:

• one large french baguette, sliced lengthwise
• one package of black forest ham (I like the Applegate Farms uncured ham)
• about a cup of shredded Gruyere cheese
• Earth Balance spread

I began by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.  I sliced the baguette lengthwise and laid it open faced on a cookie sheet.  I spread a thin layer of Earth Balance on top, then placed the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes until it was toasty.  I placed the ham slices on top of the bread, topped it with a layer of shredded Gruyere, and put it back into oven for a few minutes until the cheese began to melt.  I finished it off in the broiler for about a minute until the cheese began to bubble.

The kids ate and ate and ate.  I served it with chicken veggie soup (recipe to come), and apple-cherry sauce.