Vicious Vegan Veggie Panini

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this blog, so bare with me!

This week we will be making our first recipe, we are going to tackle a veggie and avocado panini! This recipe is also a good vegan option for all you vegans out there. This sandwich is enriched with high nutrition, low calories and a full array of bright vibrant colours.

Paninis are one of my favourite foods, super simple to make, and better yet, super easy to devour quickly. It probably has something with to do with the crispy bread crusts and the gooey goodness inside that just makes most mouths water. Okay, so let's get started!



Ingredients

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 10mins

Cook Time: 20mins

• 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
• 1 Yellow Onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 Hot House Tomato, sliced horizontally
• 1 Ripe Avocado, sliced into strips
• 1 Zucchini, cut cross-wise into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, stem & seeds removed, slice into 1-inch slices
• 4-5 Large White Mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
• 1 Whole Wheat Ciabatta Baguette, cut cross-wise into suitable portions
• Ground Sea Salt and Pepper for taste

Directions:

Preheat your pan over a medium heat. Once the pan has gathered some heat, drizzle 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil into the pan. Add in your sliced onions and red bell peppers. We add these first because they do tend to take longer to cook than the other veggies. Grind up some sea salt and fresh pepper to the pan. Cook until they begin to char slightly and have begun to caramelize. This should take about 3-4 minutes.

Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and add in the sliced zucchini, mushrooms and minced garlic. Next, we want to add in the 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the grill. Make sure to constantly flip and mix your veggies so that they do not over cook on one side! Continue to cook for another 3 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and the zucchini has become slightly crispy. Take the pan off the heat source and let it cool for a minute or two before serving.

Next, we want to take the sliced ciabatta bread and toast them until they begin to brown and crisp along the edges. The best method for toasting these thick sucks is to use a sandwich grill, if you have it, fire it up! I do not have such a luxury, so I used a toaster oven instead.

Once your bread is toasted and your veggies are all chargrilled, the next thing you want to do is stack it all up. This part of the process is probably the more challenging aspects, since veggies have a difficult time stacking. I'd suggest starting with the more flat veggies, such as the zucchini, sliced fresh tomato slices, onions, and so forth. Once you have piled your veggies, lastly, add your avocado slices to the top and press down the top half of your bun. 

After you have completed all of these steps you're ready to devour your steaming hot Veggie and Avocado Panini!

Bon Apetit!