Veggie Panini with Sun Dried Tomato Mayo

When Grant was very young and dinner time was busier, I made paninis all the time. If you don’t have a grill pan, get one. I’m on my third grill pan in 10 years (over time the nonstick surface wears down) and can’t live without it. One night, Marty was grilling some chicken and suddenly the outdoor grill ran out of propane. No problem. I threw those suckers on the grill pan and they were perfect.

Grilled paninis are so versatile. Use any veggie or meat that you wish. There are a ton of different combinations depending on what you are in the mood for. Also, custom making them based on your family members preferences is simple too since they can be made to order.

• baby bella mushrooms
• red bell pepper,  sliced
• green bell pepper, sliced
• tomato,, sliced
• baby spinach leaves
• sliced havarti cheese
• crusty bread, (I used french baguette and dug the insides out to use as bread crumbs later for other recipes-use food processor and freeze them for up to 1 month)
• Olive oil spray
• medium sweet onion, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• sun dried tomato mayo (**recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Turn double burner grill pan on medium to high heat. Spray pan with olive oil spray to coat or brush on up to a tablespoon of olive oil. When grill pan is hot, add onion and red and green bell peppers. Grill for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to grill until all the veggies are soft and grilled. Turn stove off and veggies can sit until you are ready to assemble the panini

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place crusty bread, sliced and open faced, on the foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and assemble the panini how ever you would like. I added havarti cheese and sliced tomato on one side, and spinach leaves and grilled veggies on the other side. Bake for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove and add the sundried tomato mayo. Close panini and serve.

Sun Dried Tomato Mayo

• 1 cup of fat free or low fat sour cream
• 3 tbs of low fat mayonaisse
• 1/4 cup of feta cheese
• 1 tbs of fresh mint
• 1 clove of garlic
• juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of sun dried tomatoes (soaked in hot water and drained)

First add garlic in food processor and process for 20 seconds. Then, add rest of the ingredients. Be sure to taste it and make sure you like the flavor. For example, if it’s too heavy in the sun dried tomatoes for you, feel free to add more mayo or sour cream. Keep refridgerated for up to 3 days.