Braised Greens & Cannellini Beans

Fran made the braised greens from the recipe below to go with a grilled rack of lamb. It was a Saturday Market spur of the moment idea. One of our favorite produce vendors (Minto Island Growers) sells spring greens by the bag, but this time they were selling braising greens instead. I nearly put them back on the shelf, but then thought to ask Fran if we could have them with the lamb. And because she's not as stuck in her ways as her mother, she said "yes". :>)
It was an excellent side dish and if they keep offering that bag--we'll be eating it regularly.

Braised Greens & Cannellini Bean Panini

From EatingWell:  March/April 2012
A creamy spread of cannellini beans cooked with onion, garlic and white wine is the perfect match for tender braised greens. Press the two between pieces of crusty whole-wheat bread and you have an outstanding vegan panini.

6 servings | Active Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Braised Greens

1 1/2 pounds (about 2 bunches) hearty greens, such as kale or collards
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, sliced 1/4-inch thick (see Tips), white and light green parts only
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup vegetable broth
White Bean Spread & Sandwich

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 spring onion bulbs or 3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans or one 15-ounce can, rinsed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 slices crusty whole-wheat bread
Olive oil cooking spray
Preparation

To prepare braised greens: Strip leaves from stalks. Stack and slice the leaves into 1-inch strips. Thinly slice the stems into 1/4-inch pieces. Keep leaves and stems separate.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and the chopped stems and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Add the sliced greens and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover. If there’s any liquid left in the pan, continue cooking for another minute or two until it is nearly gone.
To prepare bean spread: Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions (or shallots) and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until most of it is evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes. Stir in beans and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Puree the bean mixture in a food processor until almost smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot foods.)
To prepare panini: Coat one side of each slice of bread with cooking spray. With the sprayed side down, spread equal portions of the bean puree on 6 slices of bread. Top each with equal portions of the braised greens. Top with the remaining pieces of bread, sprayed-side up. Press in a panini maker until hot and crispy. (Don’t have a panini maker? See Tips.)