Another very dear friend of mine lost her father last week, and I headed to the kitchen to prepare some comfort food. The weather was a little cool so I cooked up one of my favorite dishes. . .white beans.

Beans are like a blank canvas. You can do almost anything you want to them. I threw in some very low-fat chicken sausage, carrots, and spinach, and the result was colorful and yummy. I added a salad with fresh berries and Hendrickson's Original Sweet Vinegar & Olive Oil (NON-FAT, GLUTEN-FREE, PRESERVATIVE-FREE, SUPER YUMMY) Dressing. Ann's husband closely watches his cholesterol so I was keeping that in mind as I prepared this meal.

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When I delivered the food, Ann and I sat down and talked about her dad. He had a heart attack on the way home from Wednesday night church services. He had pulled safely off to the side of the road and turned on his caution lights, and then died there in his car. I was touched by his consideration of others even at the very end. The state trooper who found him called him a hero.

Walking away from my friend's house, I was the one who had been comforted.

Recipe for White Beans

Note: I typically soak my beans using the quick method. And I cook them according to the instructions on the bag.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

6 cups water or chicken stock (I add Better than Bullion to desired taste)

1 pound rinsed, soaked and cooked white beans

1 cup finely chopped carrots

3 cups of fresh spinach leaves

2 cups low-fat chicken sausage, sliced

1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add stock, beans, carrots, spinach and sausage. Simmer gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached, about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Pepper to taste.

Nutritional Content

Rebecca says this is an EXCELLENT source of fiber, providing 60% of the daily requirement. She also recommends using water or low-sodium chicken broth. I have to admit this is where I am bad. I tend to use Better than Bullion or full-octane chicken stock.

Calories: 276

Fat: 4.5g

Saturated fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 25mg

Sodium: 248mg

Carbohydrate: 40g

Fiber: 15g

Protein: 21g