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This was absolutely delicious! I used roasted red bell peppers instead of tomatoes, spinach instead of kale, and grilled it on a grill pan on the stove. I love how versatile this recipe is! Such a great way to eat more veggies.
Lisa
This is straight up veggie ♥.
There are so many things happening right now that are just making me cray-zie.
I have the excited jitters and I haven’t even had any coffee today. Except the two cups from this morning, swirled with that dreamy heavy whipping cream to help me perk up when I excitedly woke up sans alarm at 5am.
I’m a liar. I don’t wake up at 5am naturally, ever. But this morning I was in that can’t-sleep-mode because of some exciting life stuff and also, the exciting memory of this massive pile of veggies that became the most delicious veggie panini a few days ago.
Exciting things. Go.
School.
As in elementary school. Where I’m a teacher.
School started and it’s so so so ridiculously fun to be back. This morning I helped the world’s cutest Kindergartners find their classrooms. They had monster truck backpacks hanging halfway down their legs, brightly colored eyeglasses resting too low on their noses, and little white paper tags around their necks with their names, classrooms, and a colored dot that means… something important, I think. It’s just adorable like you wouldn’t believe.
Also noteworthy – today a student spontaneously rapped a The Foot Book by Dr. Suess for me, by memory. Try not to smile the next time that happens to you. I dare you.
Vacations.
Between work, friends, and family, I have like 452 trips on the calendar within the next 9 months, which feels overwhelming and thrilling all at the same time. First, Bjork and I are going to Washington TWICE this fall for blogger type things and I am already thinking a) what I’m going to eat, and b) whether or not it’s okay to wear my typical blogger uniform of yoga pants and a hoodie at events like this. Also this fall –> a road trip to Glacier National Park with our hilarious friends and their baby boy. Expect pictures.
My sisters and my mom and I are planning to visit Washington DC (the other one) this winter. Girls trip! We are going to visit the sites, specifically the Holocaust museum. I have a feeling it’s going to be both meaningful and fun, and I am pump-ed-up.
Last one: My family is planning a big trip to North Carolina which is secretly my dream vacation location thanks to Nicholas Sparks. Somehow in my mind this vacation is actually just me, standing in a field with tall grass next to the ocean, with the wind whipping my hair and swirling my skirt, looking hopelessly romantic. Right?
House – Fingers Crossed
I saved the best for almost last. We put an offer in on a house today. A REAL LIVE HOUSE!
{excited dance}
Considering our recent house heartbreak, I’m nervous to tell you more about this house for fear that something won’t work out, but just know this: I am giddy from my ears to my toes and I will most likely be blasting you with pictures if this thing becomes real life.
This Panini
This Avocado Veggie Panini. It’s completely overloaded with the most delicious sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, and kale, plus it has a little cheese (optional) (not), and smashed avocado. Please please please let me eat this for lunch for the rest of the year. Would it be worth bringing the panini press to work? Thinking about it.
Avocado Veggie Panini
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This avocado veggie panini is stuffed with lots of sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, and kale, and smeared with avocado. So yummy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 minced shallot (onion or garlic works too)
- 8 ounces sliced baby portobello mushrooms
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
- salt to taste
- 2 avocados
- 8 pieces thick, sturdy wheat bread
- melty white cheese like Provolone or Mozzarella, if you want
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots; saute until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned lightly on the outside. Add the tomatoes and kale; saute until wilted and warmed through. Remove from heat and season with salt.
- Mash the avocado in a bowl with a fork. Spread some avocado on the surface of each piece of bread. Assemble the sandwiches by carefully arranging the vegetables on the bread. Get as many veggies on as you can because the sandwiches sink down when you use the panini press.
- Add the cheese on top of the veggies if you want, cover with another slice of bread, and place on a preheated panini press. When the bread is browned on the outside, remove from heat. If you did not cut the tomatoes, be careful as they might burst when you bite into them and they will be hot! 🙂
Notes
The tomatoes were a little tricky to keep in the sandwiches because I left them whole, but I liked how they’d burst in your mouth. For easier assembly, just slice or chop the tomatoes beforehand.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: panini recipe, veggie sandwich, vegetarian panini
Have a great weekend because weekends RULE.
That looks super good! Too bad I don’t have an avocado on hand for lunch
This sandwich looks right up my alley! Who can say no to avocados? And good luck with house hunting. I went through that recently, and I know it can be very up and down emotionally.
Weekends DO rule – and so does this panini!!!
Looks Amazing! Best of luck on the house deal!! I am going to NC at the end of the month, can’t wait to check it out. I’ve never been before.
It sounds amazing! You’ll have to give me your recommendations. 🙂
So much exciting stuff! Girl you are so busy and it is all with good stuff!! The teaching gig So cute!!!), the trips, the new house (!!) and this panini! So happy for you guys and for since I get to make this panini a real life thing. Like happening today. Yes!
Yum! This looks awesome! Where in Washington (the state) are you going?! I just moved to Arizona (for 6 months) from Seattle and I miss it like crazy! What type of blogging things? 🙂 And congratulations on the house offer! Keep us posted! So many exciting things!
Seattle and Pasco. 🙂 One is a speaking gig and one is an orchard tour!
My friend, Aggie (Aggie’s Kitchen) led me to your blog and I’m SO glad she did. Love it! I purchased your e-book (love) …. And am enjoying your newsletters.
As a Momma of two, I SO appreciate teachers who love what they do and the students they teach as much as you do!!!
Jealous of all the trips you have lined up….. And so excited for you on the new house!!! That’s a wonderful time in life when you get to own your own home.
Aw, thanks Aggie! And thanks for the comment Kim!
Yum this panini is to die for. I love veggie loaded anything these days. Also, let me know if you want a list of awesome restaurants to hit up in DC, I live on Capitol Hill and have many good suggestions for you and your fam!
Mouth watering as I type, trying not to drool on the keyboard. I don’t do ‘regular’ tomatoes but would substitute sun-dried. This looks great.
That would be delish, actually. Good call.
This panini looks amazing. I love Panini’s so this is right up my alley. Yum.
so much to look forward to 🙂 🙂 The museum in DC is a MUST and I have been dreaming about S Carolina too – yes to N. Sparks. Absolutely love the idea of so many veggies and cheese and avocados in one sandwich 🙂
This panini looks fantastic! You have a lot of things on the books lady! I hope no more house heartbreak! I cannot wait to see pics from all your adventures, in the meantime, you better believe this is hitting my belly this weekend!
Whaaaa, you’re eating mushrooms now? This must be an amazing Panini! I love making sandwiches like this, especially if avocado is involved.
Ah, so jealous of your freedom – just jump in a car and go wherever you want. A trip to a grocery store is an event in my household for now. Smashed avocado looks so sexy! Good luck on a house!
I love how you are adding nutrition info at the end of your recipes! Is this a new thing or have I just been blind? And are you using a program to write the facts for you?
Yeah, they were there before but smaller and nicer looking. THese ones just pop out more because I have to use a new program to create the labels – my other one that I was using (Laveem) shut down this week. The new program (website) is Calorie Count.
Calorie Count is awesome, I’ve been using it for years to figure out recipe calorie counts. Now, onto the sandwich, I’m not a kale fan, so I’d probably use spinach.
CONGRATS on the house! Good luck! I am doing the happy dance for you right now! And a happy dance for this panini…mmm…avocado…. & I love that you added Kale to the sandwich. Fab idea!
Good luck with the house! Fingers crossed. We went through house hunting last year and after months of searching, putting in offers, waiting, etc., we finally have a cute little home, which still needs lots of love but we’re in and we love it. Makes the hunting all worth while when you get there!
Also, this sandwich? Amazing. Look at all those veggies!!
Congrats! Lots of great plans coming up. The house sounds so exciting!
This Panini looks so hearty so healthy so my idea of a sammie!
Congrats -almost – hope the offer goes thru and yall get it!
And awww-too cute with the dr. seuss rap!
I went to Washington, DC a few weeks ago and we visited the Holocaust Museum. It’s incredible (although words can’t really describe it). It’s a beautiful tribute and I think everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime!
Have fun on all your upcoming adventures– school, trips, AND house buying.
Exactly. I read a book this summer that made me think: you must find a way to honor those whose lives were affected by this. I feel like to say I’m excited to go there is not quite right, because it’s so much more than that. But it’s an experience that I’m really looking forward to in a significant kind of a way.
OOooo do share the exciting life details!! This panini looks amazing. Actually, you could put avocado on anything and it would look amazingly delicious 😉
The excitement of buying a house is a thrill, indeed! Best of luck with that, and keep in mind, if one door closes, another great door on another even better house will open.
I am a veggie nut and avocado is right up there. I could live on this sandwich and my cells would rejoice too!
Agreed! Thanks Lori!
This sandwich rocks my world!! Keeping my fingers crossed on your new house!! So exciting!
Thanks Gaby!
Lindsay, your house-hunting news is SO exciting!! I have all of my fingers and toes crossed for you that everything works out! And I think that 5-year-old kids wearing backpacks is basically the cutest thing ever. Especially when they have ginormous matching lunch boxes too!
I can totally picture you eating this panini in North Carolina on the beach with a Nicholas Sparks book in hand. After reading almost every book he’s ever written (at least the ones at the library), I definitely want to go there too!
Oh my goodness…no wonder you are giddy!! I totally understand everything. There is nothing quite like the first day of school. No matter what level you teach, there are always those newbies who need assistance finding their way – kindergarteners, first year middle schoolers, high school freshmen (although they are most reluctant to admit it!).
Also, I’ve got vacations planned out for months as well. We just came back from one at the beach, head to Nashville (via a day on the Blue Ridge Parkway) in October to visit our younger son and daughter-in-law, Georgia for Christmas, and I get to go to Florida with my sister in February!
And then the AVOCADO. PANINI. Nuff said.
And I almost forgot….house hunting!!! The thrill of finding ‘the one’! Prayers for things to work out for the best.
How fun! I’ve always wanted to go to Georgia.