Greek Style Panini

There is officially a love affair going on, between my panini press and I. It is the best think I have added into my kitchen in a long time. When I have some left over ingredients that I don't know what to do with, they seem to always work perfectly, cooked into a panini. I have my two staples that I always make, cheddar apple, and southwestern, but I have been wanting to add a new panini to my menu. With my recent leftovers of feta and olives, and hummus on sale two for one, it was Greek style panini time!



What you need:



2 slices of bread
6-8 pitted Kalamata olives
Feta cheese
Your favorite hummus
Half a tomato, sliced

What to do:
Assemble your sandwich with the hummus spread on, feta, olives, and tomato



Put everything into the panini press and cook until golden brown on the outside



I ate my panini with a side salad.





This panini was s incredibly delicious! It tasted like I ordered it right out of a sandwich shop. The hummus was creamy, and added an element of protein from the chick peas. The olives and feta were briny, and the tomato was hot a juicy. All the Greek flavors came together perfectly all in a hot and crispy crust.

What is your favorite panini combination? Will you try out this Greek style one?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Hello hello! I hope you are all doing well. I am actually in Ocean City this weekend to see my dad sing in his chorus. I love seeing my dad, but its always bittersweet having to say bye.

It has been really nice getting back to writing. I have to say, that little break I took was quite refreshing. I feel so much more connected to my blog, and really enjoying writing again. I sadly don't have much free time lately, but I am going to do my best to keep on blogging!

Today I have the ultimate in classic comfort food. Its not mac and cheese, not meat loaf, and definitely not stew: its grilled cheese and tomato soup!




There is something so special and grilled cheese and tomato soup. Dipping the sandwich into the warm tomatoey goodness just makes you feel like a kid again. Its warm and tasty with those classic comfort flavors.

On the soup side of the plate, I opted for Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque. It was actually the first time trying this flavor.



This soup had such a fresh, tomatoey taste. I could actually taste a difference between this soup, and the non-organic ones that I sometimes eat. I especially loved the chunks of tomato and the hint of cheesiness. It was definitely a grown up version of the basic tomato soup.







Next, I bring you the grilled cheese part of this dynamic duo.



While for the cheese, I used the classic, individually wrapped, American cheese slices, I decided to add a little something special.  Recently, while visiting a friend, she let me pick a couple jalapenos off her plant! I thought they would be the perfect compliment to a grilled cheese, so I diced them up, put it in the sandwich, and cooked it in my panini press.



YUM! I love that you can see the jalapeno pieces. This sandwich had two of my favorite qualities, meltiness and cheesiness. I couldn't get over how cheesy it was. The jalapeno bits gave it the perfect amount of spice. It really brought this classic sandwich to a whole new, grown up, level.

It was so fun getting to regress to childhood for a meal, but still feeling like just a little bit of an adult.

What is your favorite kid food?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Cheddar Apple Panini

Hey everyone. Today I wanted to show you an awesome panini that I have been eating non-stop the past few days.  I love making paninis and I have been really loving my panini maker.  It cooks my paninis really quickly, and to perfection! The cheese is always melty, and the bread is perfectly grilled. The best party of paninis is that you can either throw one together with whatever you have in the house, or you can carefully plan out what you are going to add. This panini was one of the planned varieties.



This panini was both inspired by this recipe, and The Melting Pot.  My favorite Melting Pot course is the cheese course. Ben and I usually get the fondue made of cheddar cheeses, and I am obsessed with dipping in those green apples. When I saw that panini recipe on Panini Happy, I knew I had to try it!

What you need:



2 slices of bread
Shredded cheddar cheese
Half of a green apple
Spicy brown mustard

What to do:
While your press is heating up, cut your apple in half.  I wrapped up the extra half and put it away for tomorrow's panini. Then cut the apple in slices.
Spread on the mustard on one slice of bread, and place the apple slices on top.
Pile on the cheddar cheese shreds, and place the second slice of bread on top.
Put it all of the panini press and grill until you get nice brown grill lines.





The hot, juicy apple really gave this sandwich a meaty bite, which is nice in a meatless sandwich. You might think the apple would be too sweet for a lunch panini, but the sharpness of the cheddar, and the spicy mustard helped to cut the sweetness of  the apple. I just loved the melty cheese, and the crispy bread!



Green apples and cheddar are just a perfect marriage!

I just loved this panini, I can't wait to make it again. Or maybe go to the melting pot, which ever comes first.

Do you love cheddar and apples like I do? Are you going to make this panini?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Southwestern Panini - My First Panini Press!

Hello everyone! This marks a special post for a few reasons. First, this is my first post that I am writing from my new apartment in Virginia! Moving away from home was one of the hardest things that I have ever done, but each day that I get settled in my new place, the easier it gets.

This is also the first post that I am going to show you food I made in my brand new kitchen, on my brand new plates, with my brand new panini press. My dad's girlfriend gave Ben and I a panini press for a housewarming gift, but since Ben was going to use it to cook his meaty foods, the panini press was basically just a gift for me. Ahh, the perks of living with your boyfriend!

I had never used a panini press before, but I was too excited to open it up and start using it that I decided to forgo the instructions and just wing it.  We had just had vegetarian tacos for dinner, so I decide to put the leftovers together and make my first Southwestern panini.



What you need:


2 Slices of bread
Salsa
Avocado
Mexican blend cheese

What to do:


Start by cutting your avocado in half and opening it to remove the pit. Scoop out half or the meat and press it to one slice of bread.



Layer on a few spoonfuls of salsa and top with lots of cheese. Add the other slice of bread on top and its time to press!



I was really proud of my first panini!  The bread was perfectly cooked with the perfect amount of crunch that matched with the creaminess of the avocado.  The salsa and the Mexican cheese gave it that Southwestern flavor.



I loved how beautifully melted the cheese was. This tasted just like it was made in a little sandwich shop!



I decided to take the other half of the avocado and add it to a little salad on the side.



I really loved making my first panini. It was so much fun finding ingredients to add and it looked so cute. I am so excited to try even more combinations!

Do you like making your own paninis? What kind should I try next?

Bye from the Veggie Side!