2 Gals Cooking Light-Day 1 and an exciting giveaway!

Cooking Light has always been one of my favorite magazines. Many recipes here on my blog are from CL. It is important to me to be able to make delicious food that is lighter in fat and has fewer calories. Over the years, CL has progressed to a point where most every recipe I try is a winner. I love how you use real food and have amazing flavor results.

When I started blogging 1-1/2 years ago, I never thought I would be where I am now with my blog. I basically started this blog because my friend LadyJayPee from Eating, Etc. shared her blog with our group of cooking friends. She inspired me to start a blog and it was my intention to have a record of memories and recipes for my children and eventual grandchildren. She was my very first experience in the food blog world. I then started finding other food blogs and came across Val of More than Burnt Toast. I have been visiting Val's blog basically since I started blogging also. Over the months Val and I have periodically corresponded and found we have a bit in common from family names to geography! Val may be in British Columbia today, but she did used to live on the other (Canadian) side from where I current live in New York State! Another thing she and I have in common is healthy cooking (hence our Cooking Light collaboration). Please make sure you check out her blogpost today because she has some great health related information to share with you - along with the same sandwich I am sharing with you today. You can be sure we both have some variations on how we made the sandwich, but I can also promise you that we both enjoyed it very much!

Before I give you the recipe for the sandwich I need to share some other very exciting news with you!

Right after Val and I decided to do our week of Cooking Light recipes I was contacted by Aaron of Magsdirect.com asking if I would be interested in giving away a Cooking Light Subscription. Perfect! This was meant to be! I emailed Aaron right back telling him that I was very interested and that starting Sunday, June 7 my friend Val and I would be doing a week of Cooking Light posts.....how appropriate! Aaron responded that it sounded perfect and that he would give away 3 subscriptions!

So, this is what you need to do to enter! Leave no more than one comment on my blog and Val's Blog each day we have a Cooking Light post this week. Tomorrow Val will be posting, so make sure to visit her and leave a comment for an entry. At the end of the week we will do a drawing to choose our winners. The contest will end by Saturday, June 13, 2009 at midnight. So make sure you leave a comment to enter! You could also let us know what your favorite Cooking Light recipe is if you have one when you comment! If you already have a subscription to CL you can still enter and have the subscription sent to someone special - just think what a great surprise for a friend or family member!

Val and I decided to start out with this SCRUMPTIOUS grilled sandwich from the current issue of Cooking Light. I searched high and low (yet again!) and ended up finding arugula at our local co-op. I think I have decided to just start there from now on! When your grill this sandwich, make sure you keep a close eye on it. I totally charred my first one!

Grilled Tomato and Brie Sandwiches
Cooking Light May 2009

8 (1-ounce) slices 100% whole-grain bread (about 1/4 inch thick) (I used Naan bread I found reduced at the co-op!)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved
2 teaspoons country-style Dijon mustard
4 ounces Brie cheese, thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups packaged baby arugula and spinach greens (I only used arugula)
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices beefsteak tomato
Cooking spray (I didn't bother with this)

Prepare grill to high heat.

Brush one side of each bread slice with oil; rub cut sides of garlic over oil. Spread 1/2 teaspoon mustard on each of 4 bread slices, oil side down. Top each bread slice with 1 ounce cheese, 1/3 cup greens, and 2 tomato slices. Top each with remaining 4 bread slices, oil side up.

Place sandwiches on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until lightly toasted and cheese melts.