Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches With White Bean Pesto Food

VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP WITH PESTO: MINESTRONE ALLA GENOVESE AND SANDWICHES WITH ARUGULA AND HAM: PANINI CON RUCOLA E PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add onion, potato and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 or 6 minutes alone, stirring frequently, then add the canned beans and the chicken stock. Cover the pot and bring the soup up to a boil.
• Preheat a panini grill or a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Build 4 panini: spread roll or bread with a couple ounces of cheese, then top with a few leaves of arugula and 2 slices of prosciutto for each sandwich. Place panini in sandwich press or onto hot, heavy bottomed pan. Top with another heavy skillet or a brick wrapped in foil to press sandwiches. Press sandwiches until crisp on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• When the soup is at a boil, remove the lid. Stir in the noodles and green beans and reduce heat to low. Simmer soup an additional 5 to 6 minutes then remove it from the heat.
• Combine basil, garlic, nuts and cheese in the food processor and turn it on. Stream in the extra-virgin olive oil and process until pesto is nearly smooth.
• Scrape the pesto into a small bowl. Add a ladle of the soup broth to thin the pesto, then add the pesto to the soup. Stir to combine and serve soup immediately with panini, for dipping.

GRILLED VEGETABLE SANDWICHES WITH WHITE BEAN PESTO

Steps:

• For the pesto, heat oil in a small nonstick pot over medium heat.
• Add garlic and cook until lightly browned.
• Transfer to a food processor and add beans, parsley, rosemary, hot sauce, salt and lemon juice and purée until smooth and creamy. Set pesto aside.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat.
• Lightly spray eggplant, squash and zucchini with cooking spray.
• Grill vegetables until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Spread half of the reserved pesto evenly over length of one side of the baguette.
• Layer baguette with eggplant, squash, and zucchini, then top with red onions, tomatoes, and spinach.
• Spread remaining pesto on the other half of the baguette and arrange it over the vegetables, pressing halves together lightly.
• Cut into 4 pieces and serve.

GRILLED VEGETABLE PESTO SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Slice zucchini and summer squash lengthwise into 1/4-in.-thick slices. Place in a large bowl with red pepper, onion, oil, paprika, garlic powder, vinegar, salt and pepper; toss to coat. , Grill vegetables on an oiled rack, covered, over medium heat, until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. Spread softened butter over cut sides of rolls. Grill rolls, cut side down, over medium heat until toasted, 30-60 seconds., To assemble, spread pesto over roll bottoms. Layer with zucchini, squash, red pepper and onion. Top with cheese. Grill, covered, until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat; top with salad mix and basil. Replace roll top. Serve immediately.

GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLE SANDWICHES WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Slice the zucchini and summer squash lengthwise, 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the bell pepper into 1-inch wide strips. Lay in a roomy baking dish.
• Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Pour over the veggies and toss gently. Let sit for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto. First, toast the walnuts (an optional but worthwhile step - toasting adds wonderful flavor). To toast, set a small pan over medium heat and add the walnuts. Stir frequently until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add to the pitcher of a blender or a food processor fitted with the s-blade. Add the basil, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, nutritional yeast or Parmesan if using, and salt. Turn on the blender or food processor, streaming in the olive oil as it runs, until a sauce forms. Taste pesto and add additional salt if desired.
• Prepare your grill - medium direct heat, about 375 degrees. Lay the vegetables on the preheated grill grates and cook until grill lines form, about 5 minutes. Flip (we like to use long-handled tongs) and cook on the other side until tender and cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Transfer from the grill to a platter. Keep the grill on to quickly toast the rolls.
• Slice the rolls in half and brush the insides with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Lay the rolls cut-side down on the grill and cook just until warmed and a little golden and toasty. Remove from grill.
• Assemble the sandwiches. Smear both sides of the roll with approx. 1 tablespoon of pesto on each side (more or less to taste). Add a layer of zucchini, summer squash, and two or three strips of the pepper. Close, cut in half, and serve!

GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH CANNELLINI BEANS & VEGAN PESTO

Steps:

• Light the barbecue. For the pesto, blitz the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and juice, 30g pine nuts and nutritional yeast together in a food processor. Mix in the olive oil to loosen and season to taste.
• When the coals are ashen, place the aubergine and courgette slices on the grill. Cook for 2-3 mins, then turn and cook for 2-3 mins more until the veg is softened and slightly shrunken. Add the tomatoes to the grill and cook, turning often until the skins have split and the tomatoes soften. Immediately remove from the grill along with the other veg.
• Drain the cannellini beans, reserving the liquid from the can, and tip the beans onto a serving platter. Add 2 tbsp of pesto and mix, loosening the bean mixture with some of their reserved liquid.
• Add the aubergine and courgette slices to the platter and mix gently until lightly coated in the pesto. Scatter the tomatoes on top, then drizzle with more pesto (you can loosen this with more of the reserved bean liquid, if needed). Sprinkle with the extra 1 tbsp pine nuts and serve with crusty bread.

VEGGIE SANDWICH WITH WHITE BEAN PESTO

Steps:

• For the pesto, heat oil in a small nonstick pot over medium heat. Add garlic cook until lightly browned. **If you have roasted garlic on hand skip the first part & just use that**. Transfer to a food processor, add beans, parsley, rosemary, salt, Tabasco, and lemon juice and puree until smooth and creamy. Set pesto aside.
• For the sandwiches, steam eggplant, squash, and zucchini until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Alternately, vegetables may also be grilled or broiled approximately 2 inches from a flame or heating element for 2 to 3 minutes until tender).
• Spread half of the reserved pesto evenly over length of one side of the baguette. Layer baguette with eggplant, squash, and zucchini, then top with red onions, tomatoes, and spinach. Spread remaining pesto on the other half of the baguette and arrange it over the vegetables to make a sandwich, pressing halves together lightly. Cut into 4 pieces and serve.

GRILLED OPEN-FACED VEGETABLE, PESTO, AND MOZZARELLA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• To make the sandwich:
• Prepare grill.
• Lightly brush bell peppers and eggplants with oil and grill on an oiled rack set about 4 inches over glowing coals about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Cut peppers into strips.
• Lightly brush cut sides of bread with oil and grill, cut sides down, about 2 minutes, or until golden. Spread each piece of bread with 4 tablespoons pesto and divide peppers, eggplants, and mozzarella between them. Grill sandwiches, covered, just until cheese is melted. (Alternatively, vegetables and assembled sandwiches may be broiled.) Sprinkle each sandwich with basil and cut in half.
• To make the pesto:
• In a blender or small food processor blend together all ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth. Pesto keeps, covered and chilled, up to 1 week. Makes about 2/3 cup.