Avocado-Spinach Panini

Sometimes I find that lunch is the most difficult meal to find as a vegetarian. I'm really trying out a lot of new recipes so that by the time Naja is a toddler, I have some staple lunch and dinner options that have all of the nutrients that she needs for a well-balanced meal. This panini actually has 12 g of protein in it - so that's not too shabby!

Avocado-Spinach Panini
Source: Vegetarian Times, July/August 2011 Issue, "Hot off the Press!"
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 avocados, halved and thinly sliced

1/3 cup julienned, smoked sun-dried tomatoes (1 oz.)

2 Tbs. diced red onion

2 cups lightly packed baby spinach

4 4-oz. ciabatta rolls, split in half

Directions

1. Layer avocado slices, tomatoes, onion, and 1/2 cup spinach on each roll. Spray panini with cooking spray.

2. Coat skillet or grill pan with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Place panini in pan; weight with smaller-diameter saucepan weighted with 1 or 2 cans. Cook 2 minutes, remove weight, flip panini, replace weight, and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more. (Or cook 4 minutes in panini maker.)


This sandwich was absolutely delicious. The sun-dried tomatoes I purchased were stored in some EVOO with rosemary. The rosemary and EVOO from the tomatoes added just the right amount of zing to bring a lot of flavor. This sandwich is sure to become a summer staple for me!