Lean Green Portobello, Pesto & Artichoke Panini

Lean Green Portobello, Pesto & Artichoke Panini

I used to work as the Head Chef at cute vegetarian cafe in Orange County, and it's where I really fell in love with sandwiches. Experimenting everyday was fun and made me really appreciate how much variety can exist between two slices of bread. Of course, the key here is really great bread. Now if you're completely off gluten, I apologize- because I haven't found a GF bread yet that compares to a freshly baked loaf of sourdough. There's just nothing like it! And while I think this combo would taste great on really any bread, I recommend splurging on a great loaf if you can enjoy it. The portable acts as the meaty base, with a spread of homemade hemp seed basil pesto and topped with artichoke hearts, onions, and creamy avocado. It's got a ton of flavor and makes a great lunch, plus takes just a few to whip up. Let's eat!

INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 slices of sourdough (or your favorite) bread 
1 medium portobello mushroom
3-4 tablespoons of hemp seed basil pesto
2-3 artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
thinly sliced onion (I like a lot. Put as much as you like!)
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Gently clean the mushroom cap, remove stem, and thinly slice the cap. Lightly sauté in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a medium frying pan for 3-4 minutes, until slightly softened. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil on a large griddle over medium heat or preheat your panini press and spray with non-stick spay. Spread each slice of bread with pesto on one side & assemble portobellos, artichoke hearts and sliced onion on top. Place sandwich on the griddle and cook until golden, then flip. When finished, remove from heat and add the avocado slices. Slice, and enjoy!

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