Morning Book Review

I just finished this book in about 2 weeks after it sat on my bookshelf for a couple years. It was a pretty easy read so I was able to read a chapter every morning. In this book he follows the Lord's prayer and devotes a chapter to each line relating it to our lives today. The premise is in the title, how we must "Travel Light" and let go of the baggage we carry around each day. The "suitcases and duffel bags of sorrow, disappointment, and guilt", whatever it is that a person holds with them. The idea was good but to me not one of Lucado's best. Insightful on occasion, but some of the "baggage" I had a hard time relating to. Easy read though, of course still has redeeming value but to me not one of his best.

~ N. Schmunk

The last winter dinner...

Last week Jill and made this dish after I snagged it out of a magazine at work. We weren't sure how it would end up using the chickpeas for a stew but were not disappointed. This recipe was delicious, I got two meals at work after the fact with the leftovers and it was still good every time. We of course substituted the sausage in the recipe with a breakfast chicken sausage from Trader Joe's that had a nice smoky flavor. For the bread we also got from a Trader Joe's a whole grain crusty bread (french would not work well) that was very good. Sourdough may work if that's all you have but a dense bread works well to soak up the broth of the stew without turning to mush.






Chickpea and Sausage Stew
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
12 ounces Italian sausage, thawed and casings removed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 10-ounce package frozen leaf spinach
Kosher salt and pepper
8 slices bread, toasted (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and cilantro and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Add the frozen spinach and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork to separate the leaves. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Divide the toasted bread, if using, among individual bowls and spoon the stew on top.

Yield: Makes 4 servings