One of my oldest and dearest friends is a chef. Unfortunately, she lives so far from me that I don’t get to see her very often. But over the years whenever we have gotten together, she has treated me to one delicious meal after another.
Usually, I am too intimidated to try her recipes. After all, she’s had years of training and experience, and I am a self-taught home cook. I prepare meals because I have to feed my family, not because I enjoy cooking. But there’s this one meal she fixed that was simple enough for me to add it to my repertoire. And believe it or not, I even tweaked it to make it healthier. She made these open-faced sandwiches with French bread, spreadable brie, drawn butter and crab legs. They were absolutely delicious, but far from healthy.
I make these sandwiches with whole-grain bread, real brie (not the processed, spreadable kind) and skinless chicken. Brie is naturally lower in fat than most cheeses and is naturally low in carbohydrates. And according to nutritionist and weight-loss coach Alan Argon, “The combination of protein and fat in regular, full-fat cheese is very satiating. As a result, eating full-fat cheese holds your appetite at bay for hours, and I’ve found that it cuts down my clients’ food intake at subsequent meals.”
I’m just happy it’s a quick, easy, filling meal that even my children enjoy. It cracks me up to hear my youngest son, who is only 13, offer to fix a sandwich for his friends, asking: “Do you like brie?” Most of the children have never tried it before, and look at him quizzically. But once they try it, they’re hooked. We often serve these with red grapes. The flavor of the grapes complements the flavor of the brie.
Open-Faced Sandwiches With Chicken And Brie
Ingredients
Whole-grain bread, sliced
Brie, sliced
Chicken, skinless, cooked and sliced
Directions
1. Place a slice of brie and one or two pieces of chicken on a slice of whole-grain bread and serve.
