Chicken sausages

Growing up, it was always such a treat when my mom bought sausages from DePasquale's in Newton. (Look at the picture on their homepage and just try not munch at the screen.) It was one of the first artisanal foods I fell in love with; you could immediately taste the difference between those and the ones we got at the Star Market. They were rich and spicy and tender; just delicious.

Years later, and about 300 miles from DePasquale's, I still love sausage: it's a great go-to food because it's kind of a no brainer to cook. The seasoning's already in there, just add a vegetable and a starch. The problem is, many varieties are high in fat and sodium, not great when cooking for toddlers (or anyone, really). Sausage made with chicken or turkey is a great alternative, but sometimes the sodium content is still sky high, especially if they're pre-cooked. But you can find fresh, lower-sodium versions at the butcher's and at many supermarkets.

We love these chicken-feta-and-sundried-tomato sausages from FreshDirect. They have about a third of the sodium as popular brands like Aidell's or Schaller and Weber, and they're really tasty. We always have them in our fridge, and if Jack could express the notion of a favorite food, I'm almost certain he would pick these sausages. (Or grapes. The kid can pound grapes like nothing I've ever seen.)

Jack and Nellie eat them with peas and orecchiette, with rotini and arugula sauteed with onion (photo above), and with ravioli and balsamic vinegar glazed kale (below). How would you eat them?