A RECIPE FOR THE HEART AND A BALM FOR ARTHRITIS

 

From Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist

Multi-award-winning author of books of inspirational and sweet romance, Catherine Castle, gets to practice her craft in her marriage to author Donald (CD) Hersh. That sounds like a Cinderella story to me, but like all fairytales, there is a hitch—in their case, a dietary hitch. One of the pair has been diagnosed with arthritis and advised to stop consuming nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, bell and hot peppers, and others, which have been shown to aggravate the disorder in some sufferers.

Catherine tells us, “I love tomatoes and many of the recipes I cook are tomato based…the problem comes when one family member loves tomatoes and the other one now has to avoid them…There are very few, if any substitutes for tomatoes so I’ve been on the hunt for ways to make my favorite dishes without tomatoes for the non-tomato eating half of our family, yet please the tomato-loving member. It’s been tough, especially with chili season upon us…So, I set out to conquer the problem. Here’s one of the recipes I came up with…I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

NO-TOMATO CROCKPOT CHILI

Ingredients:

§  1 pound ground beef

§  1 can beefy mushroom soup (I used Campbell’s soup)

§  ½ large onion, diced

§  2 cans of beans with the canned liquid. The bean liquids help make up for the loss of the volume of the tomatoes. You can use seasoned or unseasoned chili beans, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, or lentils. Your choice and you can mix and match beans types.

§  1 small can diced chilies, if the non-tomato eater can eat them without issues

§  One garlic clove, diced (optional)

§  Chili powder to taste

§  ¼ cup water, or less if you want a thicker chili

§  Salsa, your heat preference for the tomato-eating family members

§  Cheese for topping (optional)

§  Spaghetti (optional)

Directions:

1.      Break up ground beef in a large skillet and brown along with the diced onion and garlic.

2.      Add beans and bean liquid, diced green chilies, soup and water to crock pot. Stir to mix well.

3.      Drain beef mixture of fat and place in a crock pot. Stir to mix

4.      Cook on high for 2 hours or until hot, or on low 4-6 hours or until hot.

At serving time, place spaghetti in bottom of bowl and add beef chili. For those who can eat green chilies and tomatoes, top their bowls with ¼ to ½ cup of salsa and 1 teaspoon of green chilies to each cup of the beef-soup-based chili. Stir lightly to combine.

If you can use some romance in your life, tinged with a whole lot of suspense and an equal dose of fun, and while your chili is simmering away in the Crock Pot, I suggest you settle back in your favorite reading spot and crack open Catherine’s multi award-winning, THE NUN AND THE NARC. I am sure you agree it is a most intriguing title for a novel. Following is a quick overview of the story:

“Where novice Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal, the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape, she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicably attracted to him, he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion, and in the process, makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.”

THE NUN AND THE NARC is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

#arthritis menu, #catherine castle, #entrée, #food, #nightshade-free recipe, #no-tomato crockpot chili