This recipe takes me back to nostalgic high school days. I remember this memory, like it was yesterday. Most of you may not know this, but my parents live in Memphis, Tennessee and that is where I spent the better half of my high school years. A stone’s throw away from my parent’s house, there was this quaint Italian cafe, owned by the sweetest Iranian family. The owners, a middle aged couple, who had two very good looking son’s (Wink* lucky me, they went to my high school). My entire family enjoyed going there for our favorite Panini and delicious Gelato. It took us all back to our Family trip memories in Italy.

My mom later invested in a Panini maker and her recipe included eggplant, pesto, fresh basil and lots of mozzarella cheese. With an excess amount of buns in the house (thank you CoVID-19), I wanted to recreate her recipe with my own twist. I hope you get a chance to try it out.

• Eggplant helps with digestion, increases brain function and is high in antioxidants

Eggplant Panini

Course: Energy SnacksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Set of Burger Buns

• 1/3 Diced Eggplant

• 1-2 Cloves Finely Chopped Garlic

• 5-6 Diced Mushrooms

• 1 Diced Tomato

• 1 Diced Green or Red Pepper

• 1 Tsp Goat Cheese

• Handful Of spinach and more to top off

• 3-4 Basil Leaves

Directions

• Saute garlic, eggplant, mushrooms and tomatoes until golden brown. 
• Add spinach and saute for a few more minutes. 
• Turn off the heat and include the goat cheese into the mix.
• In another pan, toast one side of the bread until it is crunchy.
• Spoon in the veggie mixture and top off with spinach leaves.
• Add the second slice of bread and press down with a heavy weight for a few minutes.
• Cut in half, and serve with potato chips or salad.

Notes

• To make this recipe Vegan, eliminate the goat cheese.
• Feel free to use any artisan bread (ciabatta/sourdough/French etc) or whole grain bread of your choice to tweak the recipe.

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