I'm not quite ready to dive into the more hearty fall meals just yet but that time is coming soon. Instead I'd like to focus on a couple of our favorite paninis. Do you know what the difference is between a sandwich and a panini? A panini is a sandwich made from bread other than sliced bread, usually a baguette or ciabatta for example. In our household however we call any grilled sandwich a panini no matter what bread it's on, I mean really, for all the different types of bread we have in our fridge, gluten free, vegan gluten free, sprouted grain, eikorn...let's just keep it simple.

The first one has smoked sun dried tomatoes in it, that give a bit of meaty texture and oh so good. The second recipe is an interesting and surprisingly addictive one to try out with raw beets! You don't need to have a griddle to make these but incase you are wondering the one I use is this one right here.

So on that note here are a couple yummy ones to try out that go beyond your basics, enjoy!

Avocado-Spinach Panini

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados, halved and thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup julienned, smoked sun dried tomatoes (1oz) or used any thinly cut sun dried tomato

• 2 tbs diced red onion

• 2 cups lightly packed baby spinach

• bread of your choice

Instructions:

1. Layer avocado slices, tomatoes, onion and 1/2 cup spinach on each roll / slice of bread. Spray panini with a cooking spray / olive oil

2. Cook skillet or grill pan with cooking spray if needed and heat over medium heat. Place panini in pan; weight with smaller diameter saucepan or bowl. Cook 2 mins, remove weight, flip panini, replace weight, and cook 1/2 to 2 minutes more. or cook 4 minutes in panini maker.

Chickpea, Beet, and Apple Panini

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 3 tbs vegan mayonnaise

• 1 tbs lemon juice

• 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon

• bread of your choice

• 1 medium golden beet, peeled and sliced

• 1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup broccoli or radish sprouts

• 4 tbs prepared black olive tapenade (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pulse chickpeas, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and tarragon in a food processor until chunky.

2. Spread chickpea mixture on 4 bread slices. Top with beet and apple slices, and sprouts. Spread remaining 4 bread slices with tapenade (if using); close sandwiches.

3. Coat skillet or grill pan with cooking spray if needed and heat over medium heat. Place panini in pan; weight with smaller diameter saucepan or bowl. Cook 2 mins, remove weight, flip panini, replace weight, and cook 1/2 to 2 minutes more. or cook 4 minutes in panini maker.