Turkey & Artichoke Panini

I’ve been on a Panini kick lately and when Missy announced the secret ingredient for May was artichokes, I figured smearing a little artichoke dip on a Panini would make the ultimate sandwich!

The verdict? It was really good but I know if I was being judged on Iron Chef America or Chopped they would have told me the secret ingredient didn’t shine. We had grilled artichokes on the side (a first for me, I’ve only ever steamed them before) and artichoke orzo salad – links to the recipes are below. The grilled artichoke was by far my favorite thing on our plates!

My eyes were a little bit bigger than my stomach (these were HUGE sandwiches, after all) and Curtis and I were each only able to polish off half a sandwich each. Next time I won’t pile quite so much good stuff on!  

Turkey & Artichoke Panini

With Paninis, the combinations are endless so don’t feel like you need to stick to the list of ingredients below (except for the artichoke dip, that’s a necessity!). Pile on your favorite sandwich ingredients and make it in a Panini press, grill it or eat it cold!

Ingredients:

            Bread

            Artichoke dip (recipe below) 

            Cheese

            Baby spinach

            Tomatoes  

            Pesto

            Turkey

            Roasted Red pepper spread (Trader Joe’s)

            Avocado

            Bacon

Artichoke Dip Recipe 

Adapted from a recipe from Sherry Hoover

8 oz. cream cheese

¼ cup mayo

¼ cup sour cream

1 bag frozen artichoke hearts (Trader Joe’s)

1 jalapeno, finely chopped or ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 cup grated Parmesan, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Mix the cream cheese, mayo and sour cream in a food processor. Add the artichoke hearts, jalapeno, ½ cup parmesan cheese, salt and garlic powder and pulse until the artichoke hearts are mixed in and chopped up, but not pureed.

Pour into a baking dish or small ramekins and top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes or until bubbly and warm and broil for a minute or two until the top is melted and crispy.

Smear on a sandwich or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer.

Grilled Artichokes with Parsley and Garlic

This is a Giada deLaurentiis recipe. Click here for the recipe. Even with all the garlic and parsley, I still dipped each leaf into a mayo balsamic dressing combo. And I followed Megan’s advice and added a sliced lemon, garlic and salt to the water I boiled the artichokes in. So delicious! 

Orzo Salad with Artichokes, Tomatoes, Chickpeas & Feta

This salad recipe is from Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod. I’ve made this before using her basil dressing, but this time I just used a balsamic dressing and kicked the salad up a notch with fresh chives and garlic. I also accidently opened up a can of white beans, when I meant to open chickpeas, so I just used the white beans instead. And for this recipe, I used canned artichoke hearts. Click here for the recipe. And as I was linking to this recipe I just saw she has one for Artichoke, Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Biscuits - doesn't that sound good!? 

I love artichokes and am really looking forward to seeing the recipes the rest of the Beauties (and possible guest bloggers!) come up with.