FBLTA = Vegetarian BLT Heaven

FBLTA: Fakin' Bacon, Lettuce (or spinach), Tomato and Avocado. On white toast with mayo, pickle and potato salad, of course!

A week of eating every meal at home with my husband, and all vegetarian, has been interesting. I'm reaching way back to bring out some old favorites, and ensure plenty of variety.

5 days of vegetarian lunches for two were a new, but manageable challenge:
- Dinner leftovers became lunch when I made my awesome corn chowder.
- Simple pasta salad made with Italian dressing was a throwback, too.
-Smart Dogs in toasted buns topped with pickles and condiments were an old staple brought back.
- Chik'n nuggets and fries were easy to toss in the oven, one day.
-Potato salad and FBLT's were perfect on the hottest day.

I guess I leaned on the transitional meat substitutes this week for convenience. Definitely a week of comfort lunch! But when it's all vegetarian, it's comfort food that's as healthy as possible.

The winning lunch of the week was potato salad and FBLT's. To the layperson, that's a vegetarian BLT made with fakin' bacon. However, I like to use baby spinach instead of lettuce, since it lays better. I also like to add avocado, since it is filling and contains important fats, especially important for vegetarians (and pregant women). The only guilt factor is using white bread. I really can't budge on that one - in a BLT white bread is the right bread, in my opinion.

Not that I couldn't come up with an FBLT on my own, but I remember how the acronym became inbedded in my brain. There's this really cute restaurant that seems out of place in midtown: Penelope. They have a great menu of light foods for lunch or dinner, very heavy on the vegetarian options. There are many creative veggie sandwiches on the menu, but this is the first time I saw an "FBLT" offered as such. Duh, what a great idea!

....And now that I look at the menu again, I'm really thinking we need to make a trip over there soon. Anyone wanna join me?