Ham asparagus panini with garlic pepper mayo

Did you read that last part? Garlic pepper mayo? Read it again. You want this in your life....rather, you want this in your mouth. The original recipe called for prosciutto, but I didn't have any on hand and it's a little pricey to be honest. Ham does juuuuuust fine, I tell you!

I'm always on the lookout for fun panini recipes since I got my Griddler for Christmas. If you are in the same boat, check out the proscuitto caprese panini and the pizza panini that I've done in the past...both will knocks your flip flops off!  But neither of those has garlic pepper mayo on them...so I'm torn as to picking a favorite which means you'll have to try them all and let me know how you feel about life afterwards.

1 package of fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed and pieces cut in half lengthwise
2 T olive oil mayo (I used to use fat free on everything but have recently been reading about the health benefits of the olive oil kind so I'm switching it up)
1 clove fresh minced garlic
4 slices good bread (ciabatta, italian, or whatever...I used "everything" bread from Wal Mart that turned out great)
ham (however little or lot you want on each sandwich
2 slices low fat swiss cheese
1 cup baby arugula/spinach mix
fresh cracked pepper to taste
Olive oil spray (misto)

Preaheat panini grill and lightly spritz asparagus with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, shut the Griddler and grill the asparagus on both sides simultaneously for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp.

While this is happening, mix your mayo, minced garlic, and cracked pepper together to make the lovely garlic pepper mayo spread I spoke of earlier.

If you don't have a garlic press...get one. It's life changing. I use fresh garlic in everything and it makes a world of difference! I can't even stand the taste of the minced garlic in olive oil they sell at the store anymore...blech! This is an OXO and I got it HERE if you're interested. Moving on...

Spread it on your bread slices, and layer the cheese, ham, arugula/spinach, and finally the asparagus when it's done. Spray the outside of your sandwiches with the olive oil and throw them on the Griddler until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. As usual, if you don't have a Griddler, you can improvise with a grill pan or an actual grill as well!

Oh me, oh my...tell me that hint of garlic and spice of pepper doesn't need to go on every sandwich made in the world! Main Man was not thrilled with the idea of the asparagus ON the sandwich originally (even though he loves the stuff and we ate the leftover asparagus as a side to the sandwich because we cooked the whole bunch at once) but once he tasted it, he was no longer opposed.

This recipe came from Gina's Skinny Taste which means it included Weight Watchers nutritional value for those of you who are on the program...I love when blogs post the nutrition info (I'm working on it over here, people) so I'm always on top of her posts!

Fat Stats:
Serving size: 1 panini (this recipe makes 2)
WW points: 7
Points+: 9
Calories: 337.2
Fat: 9.2 g
Carbs: 45.9
Protein: 18.5 g