A summer grilled cheese & soup combo...

Soooooo grilled cheese & tomato soup are BFF to the end, no?  But doesn't that combo remind you of cold & wintery days?

Well, here's a little spin for the PERFECT summer sandwich & soup combo that uses up some great seasonal produce:

CAPRESE BITES AND SKINNY ZUCCHINI SOUP!

Seasonal tomato, zucchini and basil paired with some farmer's market fresh mozzarella?  Lovely, no?J

For the 'caprese bites,'  I started by toasting up a few split English muffins and rubbing them with a peeled garlic clove...

Next, I got the rest of my ingredients ready for some layering...

• Fresh basil
• Fresh mozzarella
• Cherry tomatoes (roasted)

And I thought I'd add one more layer in there for some extra flavvvooorrrr...

I mixed a couple handfuls of arugula with some grated cheese and Scott & my current obsession..

LOVEEEEE capers!  I added a couple tablespoons of the capers AND some of the brine to bring everything together.

Then it was assembly time!

Tomatoes, basil, arugula salad and a topper of mozzarella!  A few more minutes under the broiler and WALLAH!

Cheesy, tangy, sweet & salty caprese bites!  A PERFECT use for all of the fresh tomatoes around this time of yearJ

And the soup could NOT be easier or more flavorful.  You will SWEAR there is cream & butter in this soup, but there is NOT ONE DROP!
Into a pot coated with non-stick cooking spray, I sauteed a red onion until it was soft...

Then into the pot went the zucchini & vegetable (or chicken) broth.  I let them boil together until the zucchini was soft and then hit it with an immersion blender to create a smoooooth soup...

And the secret ingredient for making this soup creamy without the calories??

BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

I added the squash & 1% milk and let it all warm up together for a few minutes and it was done.  How easy was that???

And the results are AWESOME!  You'd be AMAZED how much flavor is in this soup from just the onions, zucchini & squash.  Totally awesome, totally healthy and totally enough for lunch leftovers the next day!  Perfecto!

Skinny Zucchini Soup

Based on this recipe

Serves 2

• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Nonstick cooking spray (preferably one with an olive oil base and propellant free!)
• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 6 oz. frozen butternut squash, defrosted
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• Salt & Pepper

1. Saute the red onion in a pot covered with nonstick cooking spray until soft.
2. Add in the zucchini and vegetable broth (be sure the broth covers the zucchini) and boil until the zucchini is soft.
3. Use an immersion blender to create a silky soup.
4. Mix in the butternut squash, milk & salt and pepper (to taste) and heat until warmed through.

Try this one out ASAP, especially while zucchini are so CHEAP now!  It was especially great since it was a cloudy & rainy day yesterday...and 90 degrees or not, it still felt like a great preview for the weather aheadJ

ANYONE ELSE READY FOR FALL???????  Or do I have some summer-lovers out there?

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!