BREAKFAST PANINI
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 2:32PM 
I have been in love with breakfast before the health industry beat to death the breaking news that 'eating breakfast is healthy'. I know I am not a pioneer in this, and that there are many of you who, like me, think about breakfast as you're falling asleep the night before. You pour into your favorite coffee mug, the one you always use, despite the many you have to choose from. You are partial to a smoothie with either a straw OR spoon and know the tipping point where scrambled eggs go from perfect to overcooked. It is worth waking up early to experience the charm that is breakfast.
Some of my best, most heartfelt conversations are at breakfast time. It’s before you brain becomes trafficked with the to-do lists and clutter of the day. The comfort found in a warm beverage breeds shared thoughts with good company. Though my efficient, productive self tends to be in motion first thing, my dream world would always start off with a nice breakfast. I don’t like them to be laborious, or involving a plethora of ingredients, which is why this panini is ideal. Just enough flavor, minimal effort. I humbly admit that my panini skills are one of the reasons Hugh fell in love with me. So here’s to my favorite person to spend breakfast with <3 
BREAKFAST PANINI // Makes 2
If you don’t have a panini press or grill pan, you can use a saucepan and wrap something heavy in foil, to use as a weight to press down on the sandwich.
4 Slices Whole Grain Bread
½ Cup Fresh Spinach Leaves
2 Scallions, Chopped
3 Eggs, 2 Egg Whites
2 tbsp. Milk
½ tsp. Garlic Salt
Cooking Spray
Spread:
1/2 Cup Goat Cheese
1 tbsp. Grainy/Dijon Mustard*
3 tbsp. Basil, Chopped (any green herb of choice will work)
1 tsp. Milk
1 tsp. Lemon Pepper 
1. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat. Combine eggs and egg whites in a bowl, add milk and garlic salt and whisk them until well combined and frothy. Spray the pan.
2. Add the scallions to the eggs and pour them into the pan. Let them cook about 2 minutes with the lid on, lift up on the edges with a spatula and let the liquid egg drain beneath, cook another minute. You are trying to make a rectangle of this egg mix, like an omelette.
3. When it begins to set, fold over both edges towards the middle and flip it over, cover the eggs and turn off the heat.
4. In the meantime, add the spread ingredients to a bowl and combine with a fork.
5. Toast your bread slices on the panini or grill pan for a minute for a very slight toast. Evenly spread a generous tbsp. on each slice of bread. Divide the spinach leaves on two slices. Cut the egg rectangle in half so you have two squares, and put one half on the spinach leaves. Press the other slice of bread on top of the sandwich goodies.
6. Heat your panini press/ grill pan, rub a lil olive oil on the outside of the bread and sprinkle with salt, put in the panini and warm through for about 6 to 8 minutes. If you are using a grill pan, flip the panini half way through.
*Dijon has more of a ‘mustard’ flavor while the ‘whole grain’ is more delicate. Hugh prefers the delicate, I think it would have been better with Dijon, but that’s you’re call. 
Reader Comments (40)
love breakfast. love this. when are you going to make me something sara???
this is gorgeous and i can't wait to try it!
so, so wonderful. an impressive and simple breakfast is always appreciated.
cheers,
*heather*
I just love breakfast recipes!
This looks fantastic, I will definitely make this!
your blog just keeps getting better and better. you are so creative and talented. it's just gorgeous and the content so very entertaining. very few things make me happier during my day than a new post so thanks for keeping them coming!
oh wow. this looks amazing..too bad i just ate a bowl of cereal. but i know what i'll be having tomorrow! or maybe for lunch! haha.
Oh, my hubby and I would love these. I make spinach goat cheese omelets, but the additions of the herby, mustardy spread and toasted bread sound awesome!
Have a great day!
I am not a lover of eating much for breakfast, but I do love the romance the meal evokes ~ particularly how you describe it above. I like how you chose to go the untraditional route here - the addition of mustard was a lovely surprise. It is something I can imagine would go down very well come 11am, when my tummy starts to awaken :)
I am always looking for more savory breakfast ideas and goat cheese in the am sounds perfect!
The thing about the one favorite coffee cup? yeah.
I love a good breakfast sandwich, we have a number of varieties in our house. This sounds delicious, though, and will have to be tried.
Ugh...why do I always come to your site right before lunchtime!!?This looks SO good.
Ah, what a delight, another post! As I peel open my Luna peanut butter cookie "breakfast," my mouth is watering for your panini! Although I am only able to on the weekends, cooking breakfast is such a savory ritual... waking up the pots and pans in the cool quiet of the morning, the sounds and smells that hit your senses seem more acute in these early hours. Thank you for sharing!
delicous. I'm all this recipe. My husband and I love breakfast.
I am literally a few minutes late for work almost every day because I don't miss eating breakfast, and I cannot bring myself to eating anything "grab-n-go" unless in the most extreme cases. Mornings alone are worth savoring, and lazy, drawn-out weekend breakfasts are the best. I'll have to try out this panini. Love your blue bowl, by the way.
I am so totally not a breakfast person. Maybe it's because I'm not a morning person. I am embarrassed to admit that I usually eat a Luna bar and if not that, a yogurt. But wow! does that panini look good! My husband would probably propose to me all over again if I made those.
@rachel - thank you for the encouragement! you are the only hope I have in getting my Dad to read!
@EmilyEats - breakfast at 11am is just as lovely
@Leah and @Dana - I'm never above a good protien bar, let's get that straight. I'd say you both deserve a lil indulgence this weekend.
Oh my. Will you please come to my house and make me that tomorrow?!
oh yes, breakfast is most definitely my favorite meal. i love breakfast so much, i often have it for lunch and dinner, too! but nothing beats waking up early and making some eggs.
love your blog -- the layout, design, photos, and writing are all gorgeous!
Delicious! What a great new breakfast meal:) I need to try this sometime soon...yum!
Beautiful panini. I love the spread! Great idea to add milk to goat cheese. The cheese stand at the farmers' market had a new product called Quark - have you heard of it? It's kind of a mix between ricotta and cream cheese, and has a consistency similiar to goat cheese. I'm going to pick some up and try making your spread.
Seriously, I just want to comment on how amazing the photography on this site is. Like, it's "areyoukiddingme" status. Hugh takes them right? I mean, WOW. It totally makes everything look that much better. My mouth is watering.
I have to admit, I'm not a breakfast person. Not the food mind you - oh I'm a pancake girl and all sorts of breakfast pastries, scrambled eggs and bacon too! But strangely I like these foods late at night, just before I go to bed, perhaps to impatient to wait till breakfast and wanting a head start. Either way, your panini look divine and as always, the photos too.
I love savory breakfasts - this looks fantastic! Love your photos too :)
I made this over the weekend and it was absolutely wonderful. So glad you shared it along with your other recipes!
I love breakfast panini, and this looks like a great one! The goat cheese spread sounds fantastic.
To me this is the perfect lunch! I love toasted eggy cheesy things for lunch. Breakfast is more plain -- yogurt, smoothies, etc.
Your photos are so lovely!
That looks great. And may I say I'm totally jealous that you have a dedicated photographer! Hugh is very talented.
how lovely! this will be a good alternative to my french toast. that's all i make for non-traditional filipino breakfast. bookmarked!
ohmygoodness this looks fantastic. I, too, love breakfast.
can't wait to try these. i love breakfast recipes...
Your panini looks delicious.. I am adding this recipe to my file. Thanks!
wow!! this is just superb!! i love ye blog very much!! so beautiful and delish posts!! ye food photography is just beyond impressive. keep up the delish work!!
cheers!!
can tell it is you in the picture by the bent finger..love the writing
I'm with you! I've always been a breakfast eater--I don't think I've ever skipped a day. In fact, I'm known in my circle of friends to wake up early JUST to eat breakfast...it's such a ritual.
Your panini looks lovely. And all of your pictures on your blog are stunning.
heavenly fluffy cloudy eggs! I love breakfast anytime of day and this sandwich looks perfectly satisfying. Hooray!
What I have for breakfast seems really blah compared to this. I love sanwiches!
WOW, what absolutely gorgeous photos! What kind of camera do you use? Also, thanks for the comment on my site. Milkshakes are my favorite too, and they're such a fun dessert, you can literally do anything with them.
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Made this for dinner tonight with some uncured bacon from the farmers market (on a baguette instead of toast). SOOOO Yummy!!! Thanks so much, loving your website, your photography makes everything look delicious!
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