Eggplant Red Pepper And Fontina Panini With Spinach Salad Food

EGGPLANT, RED PEPPER, AND FONTINA PANINI WITH SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• Brush panini press, panini pan, or grill rack with oil; heat press, pan, or barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush eggplant rounds and pepper strips with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill eggplant until tender, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Working in batches, grill bell peppers until tender, turning occasionally and flattening with back of spatula for even cooking, about 6 minutes. Place 8 eggplant rounds and 8 bell pepper strips on rimmed baking sheet. Place remaining eggplant and peppers on work surface and slice thinly; reserve for salad.
• Place 4 bread slices on work surface. Divide half of Fontina cheese among bread slices; top each with 2 eggplant rounds, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon basil, and 1 teaspoon oregano. Top each with 2 bell pepper strips. Arrange remaining Fontina cheese atop peppers, then top with remaining bread slices, pressing to compact. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover with plastic and let stand at room temperature.
• Heat panini press, panini pan, or barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush press or pan with oil (if using barbecue, lightly brush bread slices with oil). Place sandwiches in press or pan or on grill; cover and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, whisk 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar in large bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add spinach, thinly sliced eggplant, and thinly sliced peppers; toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cut sandwiches in half. Serve with spinach salad.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat dry and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Preheat a panini grill and place the eggplant slices in it in an even layer. Grill 3 minutes, until cooked through and nicely marked by the grill. Remove from the heat.
• Spread a little pesto on the bottom slice of bread. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of pepper or tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Top with the grated cheese and the other slice of bread. Brush the outside of both the bottom and the top pieces of bread with olive oil. Grill 5 minutes, or until nicely toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the panini grill and cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the bread. Serve hot.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PANINI

Steps:

• Process Country Crock® Spread, basil and garlic in food processor or blender until almost smooth.
• Spread 2 slices bread with basil butter. Top with spinach, roasted pepper, mozzarella, and remaining bread slices.
• To cook in panini press: Preheat the press. Add sandwich and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining sandwich.
• To cook in skillet: Melt 1 tablespoon Country Crock® Spread over medium heat in skillet and add sandwiches to skillet. Place a heatproof plate on top of sandwiches and weigh down with heavy heat-proof object. Cook sandwiches 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Turn sandwiches over and weigh down with plate. Cook 3 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

MUSHROOM, SPINACH, AND FONTINA PANINI

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over med-high heat; add in mushrooms and shallots; saute until mushrooms are softened and release their juices, 3-5 minutes.
• Continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 2-3 minutes longer.
• Stir in the Cognac, chopped tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook/stir, for 1 minute; let cool slightly.
• Preheat the sandwich grill; melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over med-high heat.
• Place bread slices on a work surface and brush 1 side of each with the melted butter.
• Turn and layer 1/4 of the cheese, half of the mushrooms, and half of the spinach on the unbuttered side of two of the bread slices.
• Divide the remaining cheese on top; place the remaining 2 bread slices on top, buttered sides up, and press to pack gently.
• Place the panini in the grill; close the top plate, and cook until the bread is golden and toasted, the spinach is wilted, and the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes; serve immediately.

EGGPLANT AND MOZZARELLA PANINI

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan or panini press.
• Brush eggpant slices with 1 t olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Grill until marked and just soft, about 4-6 minutes. If using the grill pan, turn once.
• Cut bread into 4 pieces; slice pieces in half lengthwise.
• Drain and dice sun-dried tomatoes. In small bowl, mix mayonaise with tomatoes.
• Cover one side of ciabatta with mayo mixture.
• Divide grilled eggplant slices between the four sandwiches.
• Add cheese on tops and add other slice of bread on top.
• Brush sandwiches with olive oil and grill until cheese is melting and bread is crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Serve with marinara sauce or picante sauce.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED BELL PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet. Place bell peppers, cut-sides down, on the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until beginning to char, about 45 minutes.
• While peppers roast, score eggplant flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern with the tip of a knife. Press on the edges of the halves to open the cuts and sprinkle salt over the surface and into the cuts. Set aside, cut-sides up, for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently squeeze the eggplant over the sink to extract the salty juice and wipe them dry with a paper towel. Brush each half with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange each half, cut-side down, on the lined baking sheet.
• Remove bell peppers from the oven and cover with a dish towel. Let stand for 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• Roast eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice the peppers while eggplant is roasting.
• Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic, garlic, and chili sauce together in a separate bowl. Slice 4 artichoke hearts; reserve any remaining artichoke hearts for another use.
• Let eggplant cool for at least 20 minutes before handling. Turn flesh-side up. Use a kitchen knife to scrape the flesh from the skin. Divide the flesh along the score lines into cubes. Discard skin.
• Combine eggplant, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix together. Garnish with basil leaves.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI WITH BASIL AIOLI

Steps:

• For aioli, place the first 8 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. , Brush vegetables with oil. Place in broiling pan and broil 3-4 inches from heat, or grill, covered, over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes per side. Chop the peppers when cool enough to handle. , Spread cut sides of each roll with 2 tablespoons aioli; top each with cheese. Layer bottoms with eggplant and peppers. Replace tops., In a panini press, grill sandwiches until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes. Serve remaining aioli with sandwiches or save for another use.