Eggplant Red Pepper And Fontina Panini With Spinach Salad Recipes

ROASTED RED PEPPER PANINI

Steps:

• Process Country Crock® Spread, basil and garlic in food processor or blender until almost smooth.
• Spread 2 slices bread with basil butter. Top with spinach, roasted pepper, mozzarella, and remaining bread slices.
• To cook in panini press: Preheat the press. Add sandwich and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining sandwich.
• To cook in skillet: Melt 1 tablespoon Country Crock® Spread over medium heat in skillet and add sandwiches to skillet. Place a heatproof plate on top of sandwiches and weigh down with heavy heat-proof object. Cook sandwiches 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Turn sandwiches over and weigh down with plate. Cook 3 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

GRILLED EGGPLANT, PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Prepare a bed of hot coals in a charcoal grill, or heat a stovetop grill to medium-high. Arrange eggplants, onions and peppers on a baking sheet. Paint vegetables lightly on both sides with olive oil.
• Working in batches, grill all vegetables on both sides until softened and lightly charred, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. When all vegetables are cooked, chop them into rough chunks and place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the vinegar. Season well with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add capers and toss again.
• Transfer mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with oregano and crushed red pepper. Serve at room temperature.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI WITH BASIL AIOLI

Steps:

• For aioli, place the first 8 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. , Brush vegetables with oil. Place in broiling pan and broil 3-4 inches from heat, or grill, covered, over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes per side. Chop the peppers when cool enough to handle. , Spread cut sides of each roll with 2 tablespoons aioli; top each with cheese. Layer bottoms with eggplant and peppers. Replace tops., In a panini press, grill sandwiches until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes. Serve remaining aioli with sandwiches or save for another use.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND BELL PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet; add eggplant and bell pepper. Saute until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Return sauteed onion to the skillet. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Transfer eggplant mixture to a baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool before serving, about 1 hour.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat dry and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Preheat a panini grill and place the eggplant slices in it in an even layer. Grill 3 minutes, until cooked through and nicely marked by the grill. Remove from the heat.
• Spread a little pesto on the bottom slice of bread. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of pepper or tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Top with the grated cheese and the other slice of bread. Brush the outside of both the bottom and the top pieces of bread with olive oil. Grill 5 minutes, or until nicely toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the panini grill and cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the bread. Serve hot.

SUPER EASY SPINACH AND RED PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the baby spinach, red bell pepper, and Parmesan cheese.
• In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and rice vinegar. Toss with the baby spinach mixture, and serve.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED BELL PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet. Place bell peppers, cut-sides down, on the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until beginning to char, about 45 minutes.
• While peppers roast, score eggplant flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern with the tip of a knife. Press on the edges of the halves to open the cuts and sprinkle salt over the surface and into the cuts. Set aside, cut-sides up, for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently squeeze the eggplant over the sink to extract the salty juice and wipe them dry with a paper towel. Brush each half with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange each half, cut-side down, on the lined baking sheet.
• Remove bell peppers from the oven and cover with a dish towel. Let stand for 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• Roast eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice the peppers while eggplant is roasting.
• Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic, garlic, and chili sauce together in a separate bowl. Slice 4 artichoke hearts; reserve any remaining artichoke hearts for another use.
• Let eggplant cool for at least 20 minutes before handling. Turn flesh-side up. Use a kitchen knife to scrape the flesh from the skin. Divide the flesh along the score lines into cubes. Discard skin.
• Combine eggplant, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix together. Garnish with basil leaves.

EGGPLANT, RED PEPPER, AND FONTINA PANINI WITH SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Brush panini press, panini pan, or grill rack with oil; heat press, pan, or barbecue (medium-high heat). 2. Brush eggplant rounds and pepper strips with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in oven at 425 for 20 minutes. 3. Place 8 eggplant rounds and 8 bell pepper strips on rimmed baking sheet. Place remaining eggplant and peppers on work surface and slice thinly; reserve for salad. 4. Place 4 bread slices on work surface. Divide half of Fontina cheese among bread slices; top each with 2 eggplant rounds, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp. basil, and 1 tsp. oregano. Top each with 2 bell pepper strips. Arrange remaining Fontina cheese atop peppers, then top with remaining bread slices, pressing to compact. 5. Heat panini press, panini pan, or barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush press or pan with oil (if using barbecue, lightly brush bread slices with oil). 6. Place sandwiches in press or pan or on grill; cover and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side. 7. Meanwhile, whisk 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and vinegar in large bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. 8. Add spinach, thinly sliced eggplant, and thinly sliced peppers; toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. 9. Cut sandwiches in half. Serve with spinach salad.