Vegetarian Alternate: Bagel with Sunflower Butter

By Ed Bruske
aka The Slow Cook

The standing alternate cold meal on Mondays that Chartwells lists for elementary schools is "whole wheat bagel combo with sunflower butter, part skim string cheese, and marinated locally grown tomato and cucumber salad."

The only thing missing here in is the string cheese. Otherwise, the vegetables look incredibly fresh. And sunflower butter?

That's a new one on me. I had to do a little research.

Sunbutter bills itself as a peanut-free alternative to peanut butter, but it tastes very much the same. Made by Red River Commodities in Fargo, N.D., a two-tablespoon serving of the "creamy" variety contains 16 grams of fat, half of which is mono-unsaturated, 4 grams of dietary fiber and 3 grams of sugar, or less than a teaspoon.

A single serving, according to the company, delivers 27 percent of the recommended daily requirement for Vitamin E.