Grilled Veggie Panini : Lunchbox Faves : Healthy Eating : PFK

Ideal Meals

Ideal Meals™ are deliciously quick and easy-to-prepare meals developed by Produce for Kids’ very own Chef Marshall O'Brien and reviewed by our Registered Dietitian, Estela Schnelle. These lunch recipes offer a nutritious way to fuel up mid-day.

Grilled Veggie Panini

For a complete meal serve Grilled Veggie Panini with:

1/2 cup of cubed pineapple
Glass of chocolate milk

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Serves 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
8 asparagus spears
½ medium sweet onion, julienned
½ medium red pepper, julienned
½ large Portobello mushroom, sliced thin
8 basil leaves
4 oz. Swiss cheese, grated (can substitute low-fat mozzarella)
2 cups spring mix
2 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped
8 slices crusty Italian or French whole-grain bread, sliced ½ inch thin
Cooking spray
Balsamic vinegar or low-fat Italian dressing for dipping (optional)

Directions:

Heat a grill or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle oil over the vegetables (except lettuce and basil), then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Grill veggies until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spray one side of each slice of bread with cooking spray. Place one slice of bread cooking sprayed side down on grill. Immediately assemble ingredients on top of bread as follows - 1/2 ounce of cheese, 2 basil leaves, ¼ of roasted vegetable mixture. Top with 1 ounce of cheese and slice of bread with cooking spray side facing up. Grill each side until browned or grill marks appears and cheese is well melted. Remove top slice of bread, top sandwich with ¼ spring mix and sprinkle ¼ of chopped pistachios on top. Put back slice of bread.

Serve with small bowl of balsamic vinegar or low-fat Italian dressing for dipping.

Nutrition Information:

Grilled Veggie Panini Calories 520; Fat ; Protein ; Carbohydrate ; Fiber 10g; Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 470mg; Calcium 60%; Vitamin A 50%; Vitamin C 50%; Iron 15%