"They don't have to be these fat-laden, you know, white flour type of carb," said Ric Scicchitano, head of food and beverage for Corner Bakery Café.
Scicchitano says they've been making paninis for 18 years, offering a host of ways to make a panini a diet-friendly food.
"Go ahead and make it with multigrain bread. You can go ahead and customize it and pull the cheese levels down. You can substitute different proteins in there," said Scicchitano.
Corner Bakery uses eggs as its protein source in between two thin slices of multigrain bread.
"The line of paninis we just rolled out, the power thins, has 20 to 22 grams of protein, a little more than 20 grams of carbs to it, has some good fiber content," said Scicchitano.
Start with a plain and simple egg and cheese panini.
"If you want, you can dress it up with some spinach and some fresh avocado," said Scicchitano. "Just a simple dry toast on a panini grill. We're going to let that toast about 30 seconds."
You can use a skillet or waffle iron if you don't own a panini maker. While the bread is getting hot and toasty, scramble a few eggs. Scicchitano suggests keeping the eggs moving at all times to provide volume to your sandwich.
Then add just a little, not a lot, of pecorino cheese for flavoring and a bit of palate-pleasing fat.
Finish with one slice of cheddar cheese and a few slices of avocado or try egg with chicken apple sausage, which he serves with a butterfly cut to create some lift to the sandwich and provide more tasty surface area.
So think protein, produce and a smidge of fat to put some power in your panini.
