Spicy grilled vegetable italian panini

• 1/4 cup (50 ml) olive oil
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 tsp (4 ml) each salt and pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick rounds
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced into
• 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick rounds
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) pesto such as artichoke, basil or sundried tomato
• 8 slices fresh Italian bread, about 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) pickled hot peppers
• 1 cup (250 ml) shredded cheese such as provolone, Asiago or mozzarella

Whisk the oil with the vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the zucchini, red bell pepper and onion; toss to coat.

Turn the grill on. Select the Manual mode program, select orange color setting and press OK. Lightly grease the cooking plates with cooking spray. When the grill is done preheating, open it up and place the vegetables on the grill and close the lid.

Cook the vegetables, in batches, for 3 to 5 minutes or until well marked and tender. Spread the pesto over 4 slices of bread. Top with vegetables, pickled peppers and cheese. Top the sandwiches with remaining slices of bread.

Select the program Panini and press OK. Lightly grease the cooking plates with cooking spray. Once the purple indicator light has stopped flashing, place two sandwiches on the grill and close the lid. Cook until the indicator light has changed to red. Repeat with the remaining two sandwiches : reselect the Panini programm, let OptiGrill preheat and then cook.