Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini

Pic courtesy of The Sister's Cafe

I remember the first time I had a panini sandwich, I seriously thought it was as close to perfection in a sandwich as you can get. I still feel that way, but let's be honest, how often are you going to break out the sandwich maker (i.e., George Foreman grill) for lunch when your kids are hungry and whiny before naps and all you want to do is slap a little PB&J on some bread and tuck them in for a few hours of peace and quiet? (How's that for a run-on sentence??) So, my solution? Sandwiches for dinner! Yeah! These are so yummy and so easy and can be pretty healthy (as long as you don't slather on the pesto and butter). I just made mine on regular ol' whole wheat sandwich bread and it was delizioso.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini
from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients:

bread (artisan is traditional, but use whatever you have on hand will work)
butter (optional)
pesto
grilled chicken
mozzarella cheese (fresh is best)
tomatoes
avocado
roasted red peppers

Lightly butter outsides of bread. Lightly spread pesto on insides of both pieces of bread. Layer chicken, cheese, tomatoes, avocado slices, and peppers, cover with top slice of bread. Lay flat on sandwich grill (George Foreman) and cook for about 5 minutes, til outsides of bread are nice and toasty. Serve immediately.

To make roasted red peppers, half the bell pepper and remove seeds and stem. Place face down on a sheet of tinfoil and place under the broiler. Broil until the skin is black all over, about 8 or so minutes. I cover the tops of the pepper with some tin foil when it gets black and continue to broil it so the remaining sides will blacken. Once the skin is black, fold the tinfoil around it to seal in the heat (or place in a bowl and cover with Saran wrap) and let sit for 20 minutes (I've scrimped on the time before, and I think it still tastes good). Then peel off the black skin and cut into slices