Don't Let Me Go Book Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Carol of San Jose, California, our winner of a free copy of David W. Pierce's wonderful book, Don't Let Me Go.

Next week will feature another book review and giveaway and more Vegan Passover recipes.

Vegan Passover Main Dish Recipe

Today I'm continuing to provide kosher for Passover, vegan receipes, many of which are gluten free. Today's recipe features quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH), a high protein grain-like substance that is actually a berry and, therefore, allowed during Passover. You can buy either red or white quinoa -- just make sure you rinse it thoroughly before using it. It has a "soapy" residue on it which protects it from birds, etc., in the wild. You'll know when it's done because the kernels "pop" and look like they have a curly little "string" coming out of them. This recipe is one I modified which usually uses rice so you can substitute rice for quinoa the rest of the year.

Smoky Stuffed Peppers

2 Tbs olive oil
2 stalks celery, minced (1/2 cup)
1 medium onion, minced (1 cup)
2 Tbs poultry seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, drained and minced
2 cups cooked quinoa (directions for cooking below)
1/2 cup yellow raisins
1/2 cup vegetable or faux chicken broth
3 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise (or coarsely chopped, see note below*)

Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a mesh strainer. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a pot and add 1 cup quinoa. Turn heat down to medium-low, cover with a tight fitting lid, and let simmer for 15 minutes or until almost all the liquid is absorbed and kernels have split and appear "curly". Drain excess water. Quinoa will approximately double in size.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add celery, onion, poultry seasoning, and garlic and saute 7 minutes or until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chipotle pepper and saute 2 minutes. Add quinoa, raisins and broth to pan and cook 5 minutes more or until the consistency of stuffing, stirring constantly. Add quinoa mixture to each half red pepper. Place peppers in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add water until it comes 1/2 up the sides of the peppers. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 30 minutes until peppers are soft. Can top with vegan cheese before serving if desired.

* Rather than stuffing the peppers, I chop the red pepper and saute it with the onions and celery. I mix all the ingredients together and serve it as a casserole.

REMINDER: BOOK GIVEAWAY -- I have one copy of Don't Let Me Go by David W. Pierce to give away to a lucky reader. To enter the drawing, please e-mail me at http://seewhykinsman@gmail.com. I will announce the winner on Friday, March 20th.

Passover Broccoli Knishes

This week I will continue to feature Vegan Passover recipes, many of which are gluten-free. Last week I gave you the recipe for the first course of your Passover seder, soup. Below is a recipe for great appetizers or a side dish. Tomorrow we'll start with some main meals . . .

Passover Broccoli Knishes

4 cups instant mashed potatoes

1 cup matzo meal

8 Tbs potato starch in 1 cup warm water

2 small onions, diced

2 Tbs black pepper

1 tsp salt

4 cups steamed broccoli, chopped fine

In a large bowl, mix all of the above except broccoli. Knead until smooth. Make 3 inch "pancakes" and place them on an oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle each pancake with broccoli. Put another 3 inch "pancake" on top and seal edges with a fork. Brown on the lowest rack in the oven, preheated, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes on each side. Serve with a little vegan cheese or gravy over the top.

REMINDER: BOOK GIVEAWAY -- I have one copy of Don't Let Me Go by David W. Pierce to give away to a lucky reader. To enter the drawing, please e-mail me at http://seewhykinsman@gmail.com. I will announce the winner on Friday, March 20th.

Book Review and Giveaway -- Don't Let Me Go

Don't Let Me Go: What My Daughter Taught Me About the Journey Every Parent Must Make by David W. Pierce is a book about growing up, letting go, perserverence, testing your strength and determination, and the bond a father and daughter can build doing all of this. When David's 15 year old daughter, Chera, announces she want to climb a mountain, David thinks, "No way!" but says, "Sure. Sounds like fun." Uh, yeah. Over the course of 3 years, they climb 5 mountains and run 2 marathons together . . . and learn valuable lessons along the way. Chera learns how to grow up while David learns to let go. They learn what they are made of. They learn about each other. Most importantly, they learn that the mountain top experiences are short lived; we learn to live our lives in the valleys and we also learn along the journey from valley to summit and back again. Here is my favorite quote from the book:

[I]t’s not always about making it to the summit – it’s about going. The summit
is small, usually, but you’re only there for a moment. But the journey . . . We
visit the summits, but we live in the valleys. That’s where we train. That’s
where we prepare. That’s where we grow strong.

God can move mountains, that’s true. But sometimes he just moves people up mountains – neither is easy, and both are miracles.

David W. Pierce is married to Christian comedienne, Chonda Pierce. Some of the "funny" has clearly rubbed off because David's accounts are very amusing. His self-effacing humor reveals a heartfelt humility. One of the best features of this book -- in my opinion -- is the fact that every chapter begins with a picture of David and/or Chera on their journeys. The family photos really bring the story to life. While Don't Let Me Go focuses on David's relationship with his daughter, he also describes his relationship with his own fathers -- his earthly father and his heavenly One -- how he his relationship with his earthly father caused him to lose God, and how he found Him again.

Don't Let Me Go by David W. Pierce is a great book. I would especially consider buying a copy as an early Father's Day gift. You can purchase it here: http://www.amazon.com/ and from other booksellers.

I also have a copy to give away. To enter the drawing for a free copy of Don't Let Me Go by David W. Pierce , please e-mail me at http://seewhykinsman@gmail.com. I will announce the winner on Friday, March 20th.

Below is the summary from the publisher:

Summary:

The true story of how a father and his teen daughter connected through an ice axe and well-worn running shoes.

One day after reading a book about a wilderness adventurer, David Pierce’s fifteen-year-old daughter Chera announced that she wanted to climb a mountain. What David heard behind that wish was a bold declaration: “I’m growing up, Dad—what are you going to do about it?” A few weeks later they bought matching backpacks.

Over a three-year period they climbed five mountains and ran in two marathons. Together they suffered sore muscles, bitter cold, sprung knees, shin splints, and broken spirits. But they also reveled in blazing sunsets, glissaded on a glacier, and celebrated numerous victories great and small. And in the process, they built an unshakable father-daughter bond that will stand the tests of time.

In Don’t Let Me Go, David Pierce—the husband of popular Christian comedienne Chonda Pierce—offers a down-to-earth, funny-yet-serious book for parents with the same universal appeal as Bob Carlisle’s heart-tugging song, “Butterfly Kisses,” only with well-worn running shoes and an ice axe.