Cheesy Chickpea and Avocado Panini

The best kind of sandwiches are grilled sandwiches. This sandwich is delicious, filling, and satisfying. The cheese sauce is thick, salty, and creamy. It's a perfect sandwich for a weekend lunch. 

Ingredients

Chickpeas:
2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 cups vegetable broth
5 cups water

Cheese Sauce:
1 medium yellow potato
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut cream
3 tsp lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 shake of tumeric 

2 ripe avocados
Fresh sourdough bread
Expeller pressed coconut oil for grilling

Directions

Chickpeas: 
Place dried chickpeas in a glass bowl and cover with at least 2 inches of purified water. Leave the bowl on the counter top and soak overnight. In the morning, drain chickpeas of any excess water. Place them in a medium or large pot. Add vegetable broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. When they are done, drain any excess liquid. 

Cheese Sauce:
Heat medium saucepan. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Cook on high for about 5 minutes. Add potato, carrot, vegetable broth, and sea salt. Cover and boil for 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat. Add coconut cream, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, Tabasco sauce, smoked paprika, white pepper, and tumeric. Mix well and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then add mixture to blender and blend until smooth. 

Paninis:
In a large skillet, add cooked chickpeas and cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly and heat until warm. Spread coconut oil on a slice of sourdough bread. Turn slice over and cover with cheesy chickpea mixture. Spread coconut oil on another piece of sourdough bread. Flip slice over and cover with sliced avocado. Place the two pieces of bread together to form a sandwich. Place sandwich in a pre-heated clean skillet. Grill on medium. Flip carefully when bread is crispy. Grill the other side. Remove from heat and slice with a bread knife. Enjoy!

Notes: These paninis also taste great with added jalepenos, if you like spicy food. Also, this cheese sauce can be used for many other dishes like nachos or mac and cheese.