A few years ago -- on the occasion of my first sojourn out West to visit Tuneful Gal (and Pal), I spent a couple days in Santa Barbara with another friend. The Amtrak ride provided me with a chance to take in some interesting scenery during the course of the trip and I was very impressed especially by the acres and acres of beautifully cultivated crops. It made me reflect and realize that it had been the promise of agricultural richness -- as much the Gold Rush -- which had propelled the settlement of California ,,, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that a product like ***Open Nature Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Chicken Sausage ***is distributed by Lucerne Foods, Inc. in Pleasanton, CA. **WHAT THIS IS:** ***Open Nature Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Chicken Sausages ***are plump, fully cooked, 3 oz. links which are filled with a delicious blend of chicken combined with roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, chicken broth, basil, roasted garlic, salt, black pepper, and extract of Oregano packed in natural pork casings. It was a delight just to open the package and smell the primo veggies and meat. Since these sausages are cooked already, all that is necessary is to either grill them or heat them in a skillet on top of the stove. Just heat them up, don't overcook as they can scorch easily (which I learned the hard way). This is a 100% Natural product, made of meat which has been vegetarian raised without antibiotics, and containing no preservatives, nitrates or nitrites. The sausages also come in the flavors of ***Sweet Apple with Maple Syrup, Mild Italian, Spinach & Feta, Sun Dried Tomato & Basil, Smoked Andouille***, and*** Beef Franks***. ***Open Nature Sausages ***and other fine all-natural products are available at Safeway, Dominick's and Von's Supermarkets. (Prices may vary with location and store promotions, etc.) **STATS:** One link is a single serving which contains 140 calories with 60 calories from fat. There are 6 grams Total Fat, 2 grams Saturated Fat, 50 mg. Cholesterol, 470 mg. Sodium, 4 grams Total Carbs, zero each Dietary Fiber and Sugars, and an impressive 15 grams Protein as well as 10% (D.V.) Vitamin A, 25% Vitamin C, 2% Calcium, and Iron 4%. **TASTE TIP:** It took a little extra time but I sliced an ***Open Nature sausage ***into thin slices which I used to "top" a serving of hot pasta tossed with olive oil, diced tomatoes, and parsley. **MY VIEWPOINT:** ***Open Nature Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Chicken Sausage ***may not delight everyone but they really rang my bell. As far as I'm concerned, this is a winner for dinner.

AnnaBanana

Oak Park, IL