A Sandwich For Carnivores and Herbivores

I try to include vegetarian friendly recipes from time to time because several of my friends don't eat meat and I also like to encourage others to eat more vegetables.  I had to try this sandwich recipe because it sounded so good and it was.  My son said and I quote, "It's good but not great."  High praise from a 17 year old boy who prefers meat in his meals and I'll take what I can get.  Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich With Mozzarella
1 lb diagonally sliced zucchini
2 Vidalia onions, sliced in rings
1 bell pepper, sliced in wide strips
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch rounds
3 to 4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
fresh basil leaves
fresh mozzarella
loaf of Italian or French bread
Heat grill to medium high heat.  Combine all vegetables except onions in a large bowl, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Toss well.  Place bell pepper and eggplant on grill coated with cooking spray.  Cook 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until brown and soft.  Remove and cook zucchini about 3 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile heat an additional 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet and add onions.  Cook onions at least 10 minutes, turning occasionally until nice and brown.  Slice the loaf of bread horizontally and hollow out the top and bottom.  Save torn bread for another use or stuff it in your mouth like I do.  Layer the bottom half of the bread with mozzarella, basil and vegetables.  Replace top and carefully place on grill.  Heat about 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts.  Cut into 4 pieces and serve.

For the carnivores, add some prosciutto under all those veggies.  I found the neatest mozzarella at Kroger's deli for this sandwich.  It is actually in a roll lined in plastic so all you have to do is roll it out on your bread.  It also had a very good taste.  The veggies acquire a nice smoky flavor and I dearly love browned onions.  I can eat them all by themselves.

Now that I've dispensed with the good food, I'd like to encourage my readers to check out my other blog at jonesboro.com this week.  I think the post about colonoscopies, though something rather unpleasant, is important to discuss and think about.  Note: there are no pictures on that blog this week.