Lenten Lunch

A few Fridays ago, I ate lunch with two of my favorite coworkers, who are truthfully two of my favorite people period. We ate a meat-free meal of fruit and cheese sandwiches and salad, but I heard no cries of "Where's the beef?"

We had Brie Peach Sandwiches, which had both fresh peaches and peach preserves. I may have gone a little overboard in my jelly shopping.



I conducted a purely unscientific taste test of the preserves to see which I preferred, and I could not choose between the Peach Bonnet Jelly and the Hot Pepper Peach Preserves. Each had their own strengths. Their only weakness in my eyes was that each jar cost over $5. In the end, I used the preserves for the Brie Peach sandwich, because I liked the texture the peach pieces lent.



The Brie Peach Sandwiches consisted of sliced brie; a mixture of peach preserves, fresh peaches, green onion, raspberry vinegar, and pepper; spread along with mayonnaise on oatmeal bread.



We tried a pear and brie panini inspired by this Chowhound post, too. This sandwich had brie, sliced pears, arugula mayonnaise pesto, and candied walnuts on country french bread, toasted in my grill pan. I modified an Emeril recipe for arugula pesto, substituting arugula for the basil.

We also ate a salad of mixed lettuces, with a Maple Syrup Dressing. With meals like that, I could definitely be a vegetarian, if I didn't love meat so much.