When I first became a vegetarian one of the hardest transitions for me was adjusting to the lack of filling, healthy sandwiches. It seemed like every vegetarian sandwich I tried involved tons of high-fat cheese and a few vegetables. Sure, we veg-heads can always slap a few slices of tofu-rkey between two pieces of bread, add some mustard and lettuce and call it lunch, but for me that is not up to par. I love sandwiches, always have, always will, and so I have done some pretty heavy duty research (and by research I mean watching many, many hours of The Food Network) to find a hearty, heathy, filling vegetarian sandwich. So ladies and gentlemen…eat your hearts out.
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Giada’s Taleggio and Peach Panini
Recipe credit: Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Italian.
Ingredients:
- 1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta bread (or 8 slices country bread)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 ounces Taleggio cheese or brie, sliced
- 2 large pears, apples or peaches, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ounces arugula or spinach
Directions
Preheat the panini machine. Cut the ciabatta loaf into 4 equal pieces. Halve each piece horizontally to make 4 sandwiches. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and place the bottom-half of the bread slices in the panini machine in a single layer. Heat until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Continue with the remaining top slices of bread.
While the top slices of the bread are in the Panini machine, begin building the sandwiches. Divide the cheese among the warm bread. Cover the cheese with slices of fruit. Drizzle the fruit with honey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a handful of arugula. Place the warmed top half of the bread over the arugula and put the competed sandwich back into the panini machine for 1 to 2 minutes more to finish melting the cheese. Remove from the panini machine. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.
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Is your mouth watering yet? Cause mine is. This sandwich is like heaven on bread. The tangy, fruity flavor of the Taleggio is brought to life by the sweet, bright flavor of the peaches. The olive oil and grilled flavor of the ciabatta add a deep savory flavor that is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the honey, while the spiciness of the arugula adds a clean, bold flavor that lightens this puppy up. Perfection.
Not only is this a savory, sweet, simple sammy that is perfect for any summer day (or night), it is ridiculously easy to make. All in all it takes less than ten minutes and it’s worth every second.
Here it is folks… in all its glory.
Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com
