If you haven’t tried roasted sweet potato on your grilled cheeses or paninis, are you really living? This panini is the best combo of all things sweet, spicy, and smokey.
Layers of sautéed kale, tempeh bacon, roasted sweet potato, vegan cheese, avocado, and spicy mayo will keep you satisfied for hours. For the cheese, I used jalapeño havarti from Daiya, a current favorite for me, but use whatever floats your boat! Or skip it.
I made this recipe for 1, as that’s usually what my post-workout, work-night meals are. If you’re making for more, just double or triple the recipe!
Roasted Sweet Potato and Tempeh Bacon Panini
Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough
1 T vegan butter
4 slices tempeh bacon (homemade or store bought)
1 small sweet potato, cut into 1/2-1 in thick rounds
1 T olive oil
salt
2 slices vegan cheese (I used Daiya Jalapeño Havarti)
1/4 avocado, thinly sliced
1/3 c kale, chopped and destemmed
2 T vegan mayo
1 tsp sriracha (or hot sauce of choice)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Toss sweet potato rounds in one tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle a little salt over top. Place on baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
3. While the sweet potato roasts, make the spicy mayo by mixing the mayo and sriracha in a small dish. Set aside.
4. Cook your bacon. Heat a small skillet over medium-high. Add one tablespoon avocado oil (or other oil for frying) and cook tempeh bacon for 3-4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Once done, remove and place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
5. In the same pan you cooked the bacon in, add kale pieces with 1/2 tablespoon of water. Let it steam and wilt, cooking for just about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Build the panini. Add spicy mayo to both slices of bread. Top one slice with avocado, cheese, sweet potatoes, tempeh bacon, then kale. Close the sandwich.
7. Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add your panini to the pan, cover loosely with a lid to help it get melty. Let it cook for about 5 minutes on the first side, then flip once golden brown. Cook the next side for another 3 minutes. Remove and cut in half. Enjoy!