Meatless Monday: Tomato Basil Panini

Hey! It's Meatless Monday!  I haven't eaten meat all day but I have had plenty of protien in my diet!  Did you know that ricotta cheese has one of the highest sources of whey protein out there?  Whey protein is said to be able to enhance bone strength, increase fat burning and elevate antioxidant levels in the body!  For real!  Check out some facts about it at Live Strong website - tres interesting!

So what did I make for dinner?  Grilled paninis with a cheesey ricotta-based filling, laced with garlic and topped with ripe tomatoes and baby spinach... deeeelish.

Tomato Basil Panini
Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cocktail tomatoes, thinly sliced
couple handfuls baby spinach
salt & pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 whole wheat paninis



Method:
Heat your panini grill (I use my Gordon Ramsay grill) to medium-high.  In a bowl, combine mozza, ricotta, basil, parmesan, garlic, salt & pepper.  Set aside.

Lightly coat one side of each of the paninis with olive oil, flip over and spread half of each with a couple tablespoons of the cheese mixture.

Layer with tomatoes, then a handful of baby spinach.

Top that off with the rest of your cheeze mixture and carefully fold in half.

Place on your grill and pull down the lid of the grill.  grrrrrrrriiiiiiiilllllll for about 6 or 7 minutes - keep an eye on it though; no need to burn for no reason!

I spied this at the end: "Panini Grillin' & Thrillin'..."

BTW - I'm not giving up meat... maybe just on Mondays!