Grilled Tomato-Mozzarella Panini

4 slices Ciabatta

4 thin slices Mozzarella cheese

1 beefsteak tomato, sliced

1/4 cup pesto

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat panini press to medium heat.

2. Place cheese slices on 2 slices of bread. Spread pesto over cheese and top with tomato slices and remaining bread.

3. Brush both sides of panini with oil and place on the grill. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is golden-brown. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Italian Ham Easy Panini Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

4 slices ciabatta or French baguette

4 oz. thinly sliced deli ham

2 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

1. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Gently brush the inner side of each slice of bread with the mixture.

2. Heat a panini press and coat with cooking spray. With the oiled side up, top 2 of the slices of bread each with half the ham, one slice of cheese, and half of the minced basil. Top each panino with another slice of bread, oiled side down.

3. Grill each panino about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp and golden-brown. Serve immediately.

Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Panini

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 garlic clove, minced

salt

freshly-ground black pepper

4 ounces sliced prosciutto

5 ounces mozzarella cheese (thin slices)

3 tomato slices

3 large fresh basil leaves

ciabatta bread slices

Directions

1. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat panini grill to medium heat. Layer mozzarella slices, tomato slices, prosciutto slices and basil on the ciabatta base. Drizzle with olive oil-vinegar dressing and top with bread half.

3. Grill sandwiches until cheese melts and bread is golden-brown, approximately 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Vegetable-Mozzarella Panini Easy Panini Recipe

1 sweet red pepper, halved, seeded and sliced into strips

1 medium zucchini, halved vertically and sliced into strips

1 eggplant, halved vertically and sliced into strips

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 French baguette, halved horizontally

3 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare grill; heat to medium heat. Brush vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and allow to cool.

2. Brush insides of bread with remaining olive oil. Place cheese atop base. Place vegetables atop cheese, and basil leaves atop the vegetables.

3. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Place top panino half on top of filling.

4. Slice panino into desired number of sections. Toast in panini press for 4-5 minutes or until cheese melts and bread is golden-brown. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Chicken Pesto Easy Panini Recipe

1 deboned chicken breast

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon pesto

2 sundried tomatoes, cut into strips

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1 large ciabatta roll, halved horizontally

cheese shavings or slices of your choice (recommended: pecorino, parmesan or a combination of the two)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Clean chicken breast. Make a horizontal slit in the chicken breast without cutting all the way through.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 teaspoon pesto, sundried tomatoes and diced garlic. Place into the chicken breast cavity and pinch shut.

3. Place chicken breast in a cleaned roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Place chicken in hot oven and roast for about 17 minutes or until cooked through. Cool on wire rack.

4. Spread ciabatta base with 1 tablespoon pesto. If using sliced cheese, arrange slices atop base.

5. When breast has cooled sufficiently, slice into strips and arrange atop ciabatta base. Sprinkle cheese shavings over if using, and salt and pepper. Cover with sandwich top.

6. Toast in panini press for 4-5 minutes until cheese melts and/or until bread is golden-brown. Serve immediately.

Italian Subway

The Italian Subway sandwiches known as the BMT and the Spicy Italian are firm favorites of many customers the world over. The BMT features three kinds of meat – ham, cheese, pepperoni and Genoa salami – while the Spicy Italian comes with Genoa salami, cheese and pepperoni. Both can be accentuated by whatever fresh vegetables and condiments the customer prefers.

But even if you love either sandwich, there’s no reason to head out to Subway to get one. If you’re itching for either or both sandwiches but for one reason or another are unable to leave the house to get to a Subway branch – or if you’re a do it yourself kind of person and want to try to see if you can’t improve on the Subway recipes – take heart. If you have all the ingredients at home, you can put together sandwiches that might just taste better than either sandwich from Subway! And, dare we say it – these sandwich recipes may even prove healthier and better for you than the Spicy Italian and the BMT…

Here is a good series of recipes that aims to provide a healthier (and perhaps better tasting) alternative to these two Italian Subway sandwiches, starting with the bread itself. This is an excellent recipe for a honey wheat loaf baguette. You will need a bread machine to make it.

Place the following ingredients in this order in your bread machine’s pan: 3/4 cup warm milk, ½ beaten egg, 1 tbsp softened butter, 1/6 cup honey, ½ tsp salt, 1 2/5 cup bread flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, half a package of active dry yeast, 1 tbsp butter. Start the baking cycle and allow the cycle to finish. When bread is done, remove from bread machine and cool on a wire rack.

When your bread has cooled somewhat, slice it in half crosswise and prepare to assemble your sandwich.

For a BMT, spread one half of the bread with 1 ½ tbsp mayonnaise and the other half with 1 ½ tbsp Italian dressing. Place 2 slices Provolone cheese on the bottom half of the sandwich. Top with, in any order you desire, 2 slices Genoa salami, 4 slices ham, 6 slices pepperoni, 2 leaves iceberg or romaine lettuce, 2 beefsteak or heirloom tomato slices, 1 red onion sliced into rings, and sliced black olives. Top with the upper half of the bread. Slice as desired.

For a Spicy Italian, spread one half of the bread with 1 ½ tbsp mayonnaise and the other half with 1 ½ tbsp Italian dressing. Place 2 slices Provolone cheese on the bottom half of the sandwich. Top with, in any order you desire, 2 slices Genoa salami, 6 slices pepperoni, 2 leaves iceberg or romaine lettuce, 2 beefsteak or heirloom tomato slices, 1 red onion sliced into rings, sliced black olives, and jalapeno pepper slices. Top with the upper half of the bread. Slice as desired.

Italian Salmon Panini

Italian salmon recipes represent some of the best ways to cook this popular, healthy fish.

For starters, salmon meat is very popular as a food source, and it’s really no wonder why. The rich oily flesh of the salmon is regularly described as some of the best-tasting fish meat available today. And not only is it tasty, but it’s really quite healthy as well. Like many other fish, salmon meat is high in protein and vitamin D, and in addition is also very high in Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. These are unsaturated fatty acids that help reduce inflammation, may help maintain a high level of brain health and immune-system function, and may also confer cancer-, arthritis- and cardiovascular-disease-fighting benefits.

Some of the best recipes for salmon involve the use of simple ingredients and short cooking time in order to accentuate and not overwhelm the basic flavor of the fish and not overcook the meat. The Italians excel at this sort of cooking.

Here is one sample Italian salmon recipe that involves grilling salmon steaks for a quick and easy meal.

You will need four fresh cleaned large-sized salmon steaks for this recipe. Place steaks in a deep non-reactive bowl. Mix 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 ½ tsp dried or 3 tsp fresh shredded basil leaves, 2 tsp rosemary, 1 1/3 tsp EACH salt, thyme and ground black pepper, 1 1/3 tsp minced garlic, 3 ½ tbsp white vinegar and 2 ½ tsp oregano in a separate bowl. Mix well; pour over salmon steaks. Marinate 45 minutes. Heat and very lightly oil grill. When grill is hot, place all four steaks on the grill. Baste constantly with marinade and grill for 5-7 minutes, or until steaks are done.

Now add the salmon to a thick bread of your choice such as ciabatta.  Add provolone or mozarella cheese.  Baste the outside of the bread with olive oil or butter and place in your grill.  Grill until the cheese is melted.

A green salad with vinaigrette dressing would make a very tasty yet extremely healthy side dish for your grilled salmon.

You’ll need well-washed salad greens (arugula or mizuna, romaine lettuce, and/or other greens of your choice, all torn into bite-size pieces), cubed cucumbers and sliced carrots. For your dressing, mix 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup balsamic vinegar, 4 to 5 cloves minced garlic, 1 ½ tsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil, 1 ½ tsp oregano in a bowl. Pour over salad, or you can serve the salad and the dressing separately and allow diners to dress their salad to their liking. Offer freshly ground pepper to top this salad and salmon combination off nicely.

Vegetarian Panini Recipes

You know that vegetables are good for you, but if you’re like most people, you might find it hard to eat enough vegetables on a daily basis, or even in an overall sense. Vegetarian panini recipes are a great way to get the daily dose of fiber, vitamins and nutrients that only vegetables can give you. Here are two of our favorites.

You can try a combination of basil, tomato and mozzarella cheese – a classic combination that works really well when served on top of pasta, but which works equally nicely in ciabatta, sourdough or just about any sort of bread you want to use. Pick your bread first and prepare it – if you want to make two people this panini, you’ll need enough bread to make four good-sized slices. Slice your bread and pour a little olive oil or butter inside all the slices. While that absorbs, preheat your double-sided grill to medium heat, spraying nonstick cooking spray inside it. Return to your panini; select five or six of the freshest basil leaves you can find, and tear them up roughly. Divide them equally between two of your bread slices. Slice up a ripe tomato and divide the slices between the panini too. Season them to your liking with salt and pepper. Lastly, top your two panini off with as much mozzarella cheese as you like, and cover them with the remaining two bread slices. If your grill is ready, place your panini inside them and swing the upper half down on them. Grill just long enough for your mozzarella cheese to melt and your bread to grill nicely.

Another option is to add mushrooms and two kinds of cheese to your vegetarian panini recipes for added interest (not to mention protein). Again, preheat your grill to medium, and grease it up a bit with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Slice a white or red onion into small slivers and sauté them in a little olive oil until golden – make sure not to overcook them. Place the onions on a small plate and set them aside. Next, slice button or shiitake mushrooms (or any mushrooms of your choice) thinly and sauté them in a little olive oil too for a few minutes. Once they’re done, set them aside too. Dice a ripe tomato and set the pieces aside. Prepare as much bread as you need by preparing enough portions to serve as your panini halves. Spoon the onions, mushrooms and tomato pieces into the bottom halves. Top these halves with shredded jack and mozzarella cheese, and then with the last slices of bread. Grill in your two-sided grille until nice and golden-brown and until the jack and mozzarella cheese melt.

Turkey Panini Recipes

Turkey panini recipes aren’t just wonderfully tasty and really easy to follow, they’re terrifically healthy too. Did you know that turkey meat is rich in the B vitamins and zinc? Not only that, but it’s also an excellent source of tryptophan, one of the 20 standard amino acids and an essential amino acid in our diet. So, as it turns out, turkey’s got a lot more going for it aside from its taste and texture.

Here are a couple of excellent turkey panini recipes to try to help you eat more turkey – and more panini, too!

For starters, here’s a great quick recipe for a killer turkey and cheese panini. Mix two tablespoons of mayonnaise and a tablespoon of pesto in a small bowl. Prepare eight slices of Italian panini bread (but feel free to use any sort of bread you prefer); spread the mayo-pesto mixture on four of those slices. Preheat your grill to medium heat, and brush the grill with olive oil to get it ready. Now, get some sliced turkey – four slices of it – and place each slice on a slice of bread that’s been spread with the mayo-pesto mix. Top each slice with a slice of mozzarella or provolone cheese and then a nice tomato slice. Once that’s done, finish off each panini by topping it with one of the remaining bread slices. Check your grill – when it’s nice and hot, place each panini in it and grill them until the bread is golden-brown and the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy while hot!

Another of our favorite turkey panini recipes combines the wonderful texture and flavor of turkey with the zesty taste of pesto. Prepare your grill by heating it to medium heat and brushing it with olive oil or spraying with nonstick cooking spray. Mix pesto sauce and mayonnaise in a bowl; get 8 slices of bread and spread 4 of them with this mixture. Now, top each of the 4 bread slices that’s been spread with the mixture with a slice of cooked turkey breast, a slice of either mozzarella or provolone cheese, and some lettuce or spinach leaves if you like. Check your grill – if it’s nice and hot, place the panini inside it and grill each side until it’s golden-brown and the cheese has melted. Turn each panini over once it’s cooked. Best served and eaten piping hot.

There is a whole host of wonderful combinations possible for turkey panini recipes – don’t feel constrained by what other people have come up with, feel free to craft your own according to your tastes and preferences. Have fun!

Panini Maker Recipes

Panini maker recipes are those recipes that end up best when the person making panini uses a panini maker. Of course you never really have to use a panini maker to make panini; but many of these lovely dishes are at their easiest – and best – when a panini maker is used to cook them. Here are some examples.

A favorite panini of ours is one that incorporates Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, smoked ham, and garden-fresh basil leaves. Preheat your panini maker and grease it up a little bit with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. Mix a little mayonnaise and some grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl until well blended. Prepare halves of your desired sort of bread, such as ciabatta, sourdough or whole-wheat. Spread the bottom half with the Parmesan-mayo mixture. Top this mixture with slices of smoked ham, the Swiss cheese, and your basil leaves, and seal the panini with the top halves of bread. You may choose to slather the outsides of the panini with a little butter if you like. When done, grill the panini in your panini maker until the bread is toasted to your liking and the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

Another good example of panini maker recipes that we love is a simple Italian grilled cheese panini that bears some resemblance to the equally famous Monte Cristo sandwich. Preheat your panini maker and, once again, grease it with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Select your bread, and choose which half, or halves, are to become the bottom half or halves. Spread the bottom halves with a little pesto for added flavor. Thinly slice Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses; slice a ripe tomato (heirloom or beefsteak) thinly. In a medium-deep bowl, beat two eggs gently just until mixed; add half a cup of whole milk and a little black pepper and salt. Prepare another plate of flour. Dip the prepared panini first into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture. Grill in the hot panini maker until nicely browned and the cheese is melted.

The advantage conferred by panini makers – which is why some panini maker recipes specifically call for panini to be cooked in panini makers – is that they save a great deal of time and effort by allowing both sides of panini cooked in them to be cooked at once. By cooking your panini in a panini maker, you save yourself a little more time when preparing these deliciously simple dishes – time you can spend enjoying them!