Sausage Tuscan Panini

Tuscan bread– quite simply the simplest bread known to man. What makes is stand out from most other breads is the fact that it contains little to no salt. 

Tuscan bread is a bit more bland than most breads, which is why I find it to be a perfect pairing for most of the flavorful things I make. I must be honest, I have yet to make Tuscan bread from scratch, and, as of  now, I’ve only purchased it from Trader Joe’s. I was initially intrigued by it’s scarce list of ingredients (all of which are familiar): whole wheat flour, yeast, water, sea salt.  

It’s the perfect bread for paninis, burgers, soups, veggie sandwiches, and even vegan fondue (cut into small squares). 

My husband and I have a tradition that we’ve been pretty good at keeping up with. After we have a performance, we go to the nearest Native Foods  restaurant. If you are not familiar with Native Foods (and you live near one), I highly recommend that you pay them a visit. It’s our favorite restaurant of all time- and they’re 100% vegan! I’ve been on a kick over the past 5 months, where I order the exact same thing every time I go– their portabella mushroom sausage burger. I’ve never even been a big sausage fan, but this burger is out of this world. It has a delicious pesto sauce, grilled garlic cloves, and a large mushroom grilled to perfection. It’s an outstanding combination. 

So, I thought I would break the panini press back out and throw something together with the inspiration of that burger. And what I came up with is this– Sausage Tuscan Panini with Pumpkin Pesto!

This is a winner! Lately I have been experimenting with Daiya cheese (vegan cheese that uses non-GMO ingredients), so I thought I’d throw some on to add some extra flavor. If you haven’t ever used Daiya cheese, it’s definitely worth a try. It’s dairy, casein, soy, gluten, and cholesterol FREE!

All ready to grill!

After grilling- with the toppings

Sausage Tuscan Panini
1 slice Tuscan bread, sliced in half

Vegan Sausage patty- I use Gimme Lean ground sausage and grill a small patty
Daiya mozzarella cheese

Toppings: to be added after panini is grilled
1/2 c lettuce of any choice (I used romaine)
1/4 c diced tomato

Directions:
Optional: Before assembling the sandwich, I like to throw both pieces of bread onto the panini press for a minut to give the bread a little crunch.
Spread pesto on both pieces of bread and add sausage and cheese.
Grill panini on a pan or panini press until golden brown.
Open sandwich and add fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!