Roasted Vegetable Panini with Pesto

This recipe is quiet versatile since you can mix a lot of ingredients and come up with many creative combinations. I kept it as an open faced panini- just because I like to see the colors of the veggies when I eat it. I made it with roasted bell peppers, eggplant and zucchini, but portabello mushrooms can be an excellent addition or summer squash if you are a fan of the squash family also roasted tomatoes can enhance the flavor as well. I used whole milk ricotta as a spread for the paninis but do try mixing more flavors to the spread- a combination of goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes sounds really good or use hummus as a spread instead of cheese and turn it into a Mediterranean panini- yumm!

It always helps to roast all the veggies in some olive oil in batches a little in advance so later all you have to do is arrange it on the panini. It is a very quick recipe and can be turned into a wholesome meal by adding a side of some fruits and or chips and salad with your favorite drink- maybe iced tea.

Things you will need:
Eggplant cut into thick slices
Zucchini cut diagonally
Red bell peppers cut lengthwise
whole milk ricotta cheese
Olive Oil for roasting
salt and pepper
Few slices of your favorite bread- I used ciabatta

For Pesto
1 cup cilantro
1 cup flat leaf parsely
1 clove garlic
2 tbs sun dried tomato (in oil)
2 tbs olive oil
salt

For the pesto- mix all ingredients in a blender and turn into a chunky paste, add some water and mix again if you feel its too thick.
Roast all the veggies in batches in some olive oil, season them with some salt. Grill the slices of ciabatta with some olive oil on a hot pan, spread the ricotta cheese and start arranging the veggies on it in layers. Sprinkle some of the pesto and serve with your favorite fruit/salad/chips.