Entertaining Harissa Traybake

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The 10almonds Team

No, it’s not entertaining in the sense that it will tell you jokes or perhaps dance for you, but rather: it can be easily prepared in advance, kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheated when needed as part of a spread when entertaining, leaving you more time to spend with your houseguests. 

Aside from its convenience, it is of course nutritious and delicious:

You will need

  • 14 oz cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
  • 2 eggplants, cut into ¾” cubes
  • 1 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp harissa paste
  • 1 tbsp ras el-hanout
  • 1 tsp MSG or 2 tsp low-sodium salt

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Preheat the oven to 400℉ / 200℃

2) Mix the onion, eggplant, and garlic (whole cloves; just peel them and put them in) with the olive oil in a mixing bowl, ensuring everything is coated evenly.

3) Add in 1 tbsp of the harissa paste, 1 tbsp of the ras-el hanout, and half of the MSG/salt, and again mix thoroughly to coat evenly.

4) Bake in the oven, in a walled tray, for about 30 minutes, giving things a stir/jiggle halfway through to ensure they cook evenly.

5) Add the cherry tomatoes to the tray, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

6) Mix the chickpeas with the other 1 tbsp of the harissa paste, the other 1 tbsp of the ras-el hanout, and the other half of the MSG/salt, and add to the tray, returning it to the oven for a final 10 minutes.

7) Serve hot, or set aside for later, refrigerating once cool enough to do so. When you do serve, we recommend serving with a yogurt, cucumber, and mint dip, and perhaps flatbreads (you can use our Healthy Homemade Flatbreads recipe):

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

Take care!

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  • Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread

    The 10almonds Team

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    They’re gluten-free, full of protein and healthy fats, generous with the fiber, easy to make, and tasty too! What’s not to love? Keep this recipe (and its ingredients) handy for next time you want healthy burger buns or similar:

    You will need

    • 2½ cups quinoa flour
    • 2 cups almond flour (if allergic, just substitute more quinoa flour)
    • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed
    • zest and juice of 1 lime
    • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
    • Optional: seeds, oats, or similar for topping the buns

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃.

    2) Mix the flaxseed with ⅓ cup warm water and set aside.

    3) Mix, in a large bowl, the quinoa flour and almond flour with the baking powder and the MSG or salt.

    4) Mix, in a separate smaller bowl, the avocado and lime.

    5) Add the wet ingredients to the dry, slowly, adding an extra ½ cup water as you do, and knead into a dough.

    6) Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, each shaped into a ball and then slightly flattened, to create a burger bun shape. If you’re going to add any seeds or similar as a topping, add those now.

    7) Bake them in the oven (on a baking sheet lined with baking paper) for 20–25 minutes. You can check whether they’re done the same way you would a cake, by piercing them to the center with a toothpick and seeing whether it comes out clean.

    8) Serve when sufficiently cooled.

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

    Share This Post

  • Fix Your Upper Back With These Three Steps

    The 10almonds Team

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    When it comes to back pain, the lower back gets a lot of attention, but what about when it’s nearer the neck and shoulders?

    Reaching for better health

    In this short video, Liv describes and shows three exercises:

    Exercise 1: Thoracic Pullover (Dumbbell Pullover)

    Purpose: Improves overhead reach and shoulder mobility.
    Equipment: light weight, yoga block, or foam roller.
    Steps:

    1. Lie on the floor with the foam roller/block beneath the upper back.
    2. Hold the weight in both hands, arms extended upward.
    3. Inhale deeply and reach the weight toward the ceiling.
    4. Exhale and arc your spine over the block, moving the weight backward.
    5. Keep core tension to maintain a neutral lower back position.
    6. Perform 10 repetitions.

    Exercise 2: Rotational Mobility Stretch

    Purpose: enhances torso rotation, core strength, and hip mobility.
    Equipment: none (or a mat)
    Steps:

    1. Lie on your side with knees stacked at 90° and arms extended in front.
    2. Hold a weight in the top hand.
    3. Inhale and lift the top arm toward the ceiling, extending the shoulder blade.
    4. Exhale and twist your torso, allowing the arm to move toward the floor.
    5. Modify by extending the bottom leg for a deeper twist if needed.
    6. Perform 6 reps per side, switching legs and repeating on the other side.

    Exercise 3: Doorway/Pole Side Stretch

    Purpose: targets multiple areas for a deep, satisfying stretch.
    Equipment: door frame, pole, or wall.
    Steps:

    1. Stand at arm’s length from the wall or frame.
    2. Cross the outer leg (furthest from the wall) behind the inner leg.
    3. Place the closest hand on the wall and reach the other arm overhead.
    4. Grip the wall or frame with the top hand, pressing away with the bottom hand.
    5. Lean into a banana-shaped curve and rotate your chest upward for a deeper stretch.
    6. Hold for 20–30 seconds per side and repeat 2–3 times.

    For more on all of these, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like:

    Easing Lower Back Pain

    Take care!

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  • Teriyaki Chickpea Burgers

    The 10almonds Team

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Burgers are often not considered the healthiest food, but they can be! Ok, so the teriyaki sauce component itself isn’t the healthiest, but the rest of this recipe is, and with all the fiber this contains, it’s a net positive healthwise, even before considering the protein, vitamins, minerals, and assorted phytonutrients.

    You will need

    • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups of chickpeas, cooked drained and rinsed)
    • ¼ cup chickpea flour (also called gram flour or garbanzo bean flour)
    • ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
    • 2 tbsp almond butter (if allergic, substitute with a seed butter if available, or else just omit; do not substitute with actual butter—it will not work)
    • ½ bulb garlic, minced
    • 1 large chili, minced (your choice what kind, color, or even whether or multiply it)
    • 1 large shallot, minced
    • 1″ piece of ginger, grated
    • 2 tsp teriyaki sauce (we’re listing this separately from the ¼ cup above as that’ll be used differently)
    • 1 tsp yeast extract (even if you don’t like it; trust us, it’ll work—this writer doesn’t like it either but uses it regularly in recipes like these)
    • 1 tbsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp fennel powder
    • ½ tsp sweet cinnamon
    • ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
    • Extra virgin olive oil for frying

    For serving:

    • Burger buns (you can use our Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread recipe)
    • Whatever else you want in there; we recommend mung bean sprouts, red onion, and a nice coleslaw

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Preheat the oven to 400℉ / 200℃.

    2) Roast the chickpeas spaced out on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) for about 15 minutes. Leave the oven on afterwards; we still need it.

    3) While that’s happening, heat a little oil in a skillet to a medium heat and fry the shallot, chili, garlic, and ginger, for about 2–3 minutes. You want to release the flavors, but not destroy them.

    4) Let them cool, and when the chickpeas are done, let them cool for a few minutes too, before putting them all into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients from the main section, except the oil and the ¼ cup teriyaki sauce. Process them into a dough.

    5) Form the dough into patties; you should have enough dough for 4–6 patties depending on how big you want them.

    6) Brush them with the teriyaki sauce; turn them onto a baking tray (lined with baking paper) and brush the other side too. Be generous.

    7) Bake them for about 15 minutes, turn them (taking the opportunity to add more teriyaki sauce if it seems to merit it) and bake for another 5–10 minutes.

    8) Assemble; we recommend the order: bun, a little coleslaw, burger, red onion, more coleslaw, mung bean sprouts, bun, but follow your heart!

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

    Share This Post

Related Posts

  • Thai-Style Kale Chips

  • Policosanol: A Rival To Statins, Without The Side Effects?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The 10almonds Team

    Policosanol (which can be extracted from various sources, but is mostly made from sugar cane extract) is marketed as lipid-lowering agent for improving cholesterol levels, but its research history has not been without controversy:

    2001: it works!

    After a lot of research in the 1990s, it came out of the gate strong in 2001, with:

    ❝Policosanol (5 and 10 mg/day) significantly decreased LDL-cholesterol (17.3% and 26.7%, respectively), total cholesterol (12.9% and 19.5%), as well as the ratios of LDL-cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (17.2% and 26.5%) and total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (16.3% and 21.0%) compared with baseline and placebo❞

    This, by the way, is comparable in efficacy to the most powerful statins, but without the adverse side effects.

    Source: Efficacy and tolerability of policosanol in hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women

    Furthermore, its effects were not limited to postmenopausal women, and additionally, it was found that 20mg/day was sufficient for optimal effects; 40mg worked exactly the same as 20mg:

    Read: Effects of policosanol 20 versus 40 mg/day in the treatment of patients with type II hypercholesterolemia: a 6-month double-blind study

    2006–2010: we do not trust the Cubans!

    After it had been marketed and used in much of the world for some years, extra scrutiny was brought upon it, because the initial studies had been performed by the same lab in Cuba, a commercial lab that had tested them for a private interest (i.e., a company selling the supplement):

    Heart Beat: Policosanol: A sweet nothing for high cholesterol

    And furthermore, US-based labs were unable to replicate the results:

    Policosanols as Nutraceuticals: Fact or Fiction

    The Cuban researchers countered that the composition of policosanol as produced in their lab was different than the composition of the policosanol as produced in the US labs, because of the purity of the ingredients used in the Cuban lab.

    Which, on the face of it, could be true or could just be the claim of a commercial lab with an association with a company selling a product.

    Of course, importing Cuban ingredients to test them in the US was not a reasonably accessible option for the US-based labs, because of the US’s embargo of Cuba. In principle it could be done, but unless there is already a huge clear profit incentive, research scientists are usually on their hands and knees begging for grants already, so getting extra funding for specially-important Cuban ingredients was not going to be likely.

    2012: never mind, it does work after all!

    An American meta-analysis of 4596 patients from 52 eligible studies (from around the world, so many of them not affected by the US’s embargo; some were from within the US using non-Cuban ingredients, though), found:

    ❝policosanol is more effective than plant sterols and stanols for LDL level reduction and more favorably alters the lipid profile, approaching antilipemic drug efficacy❞

    Those last words there, to be clear, mean “yes, the original claim of being on a par with statins is at least more or less true”.

    Source: Meta-Analysis of Natural Therapies for Hyperlipidemia: Plant Sterols and Stanols versus Policosanol

    2018: also yes, the Cuban kind does get those extra-effective results, even when tested outside of Cuba

    A Korean research team verified this; it’s quite straightforward so for brevity we’ll just drop links:

    Mystery resolved!

    Want to try some?

    We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon—it’s not the Cuban kind, because the US’s trade embargo makes it difficult for the US to import even things that are theoretically now exempt from the embargo such as food and medicines. In principle they can now be imported, but in practice, the extra regulations added to Cuban imports make it nearly impossible, especially for small sellers.

    Still, it’s 40mg/tablet policosanol from sugar cane extract, and 3rd party lab tested, so it’s the next best thing 😎

    Enjoy!

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  • 7 Kinds Of Rest When Sleep Is Not Enough

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The 10almonds Team

    Taking Rest Seriously (More Than Just Sleep)

    This is Dr. Matthew Edlund. He has 44 years experience as a psychiatrist, and is also a sleep specialist. He has a holistic view of health, which is reflected in his practice; he advocates for “a more complete health: physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being”.

    What does he want us to know?

    Sleep, yes

    Sleep cannot do all things for us in terms of rest, but it can do a lot, and it is critical. It is, in short, a necessary-but-not-sufficient condition for being well-rested.

    See also: Why You Probably Need More Sleep

    Rest actively

    Rest is generally thought of as a passive activity, if you’ll pardon the oxymoron. Popular thinking is that it’s not something defined by what we do, so much what we stop doing.

    In contrast, Dr. Edlund argues that to take rest seriously, we need do restful things.

    Rest is as important as eating, and we wouldn’t want for that to “just happen”, would we?

    Dr. Edlund advocates for restful activities such as going to the garden (or a nearby park) to relax. He also suggests we not underestimate the power of sex as an actively restful activity—this one is generally safer in the privacy of one’s home, though!

    Rest physically

    This is about actively relaxing our body—yoga is a great option here, practised in a way that is not physically taxing, but is physically rejuvenating; gentle stretches are key. Without such things, our body will keep tension, and that is not restful.

    For the absolute most restful yogic practice? Check out:

    Non-Sleep Deep Rest: A Neurobiologist’s Take

    this is about yoga nidra!

    Rest mentally

    The flipside of the above is that we do need to rest our mind also. When we try to rest from a mental activity by taking on a different mental activity that uses the same faculties of the brain, it is not restful.

    Writer’s example: as a writer, I could not rest from my writing by writing recreationally, or even by reading. An accountant, however, could absolutely rest from accounting by picking up a good book, should they feel so inclined.

    Rest socially

    While we all have our preferences when it comes to how much or how little social interaction we like in our lives, humans are fundamentally social creatures, and it is hardwired into us by evolution to function at our best in a community.

    This doesn’t mean you have to go out partying every night, but it does mean you should take care to spend at least a little time with friends, even if just once or twice per week, and yes, even if it’s just a videocall (in person is best, but not everyone lives close by!)

    If your social life is feeling a little thin on the ground these days, that’s a very common thing—not only as we get older, but also as many social institutions took a dive in functionality on account of the pandemic, and many are still floundering. Nevertheless, there are more options than you probably realize; yes, even for the naturally reclusive:

    How To Beat Loneliness & Isolation

    Rest spiritually

    Be we religious or not, there are scientifically well-evidenced benefits to religious practices—some are because of the social aspect, and follow on from what we talked about just above. Other benefits come from activities such as prayer or meditation (which means that having some kind of faith, while beneficial, is not actually a requirement for spiritual rest—comparable practices without faith are fine too).

    We discussed the overlapping practices of prayer and meditation, here:

    The Science Of Mantra Meditation

    Rest at home

    Obviously, most people sleep at home. But…

    Busy family homes can sometimes need a bit of conscious effort to create a restful environment, even if just for a while. A family dinner together is one great way to achieve this, and also ties in with the social element we mentioned before!

    A different challenge faced by a lot of older people without live-in families, on the other hand, is the feeling of too much opportunity for rest—and then a feeling of shame for taking it. The view is commonly held that, for example, taking an afternoon nap is a sign of weakness.

    On the contrary: taking an afternoon nap can be a good source of strength! Check out:

    How To Nap Like A Pro (No More “Sleep Hangovers”!)

    Rest at work

    Our readership has a lot of retirees, but we know that’s not the case for everyone. How then, to rest while at work? Ideally we have breaks, of course, but most workplaces do not exactly have an amusement arcade in the break room. Nevertheless, there are some quick resets that can be done easily, anywhere, and (almost) any time:

    Meditation Games: Meditation That You’ll Actually Enjoy

    Want to know more?

    You might also like:

    How To Rest More Efficiently (Yes, Really)

    Take care!

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  • Age & Aging: What Can (And Can’t) We Do About It?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The 10almonds Team

    How old do you want to be?

    We asked you how old you are, and got an interesting spread of answers. This wasn’t too surprising; of course we have a general idea of who our readership is and we write accordingly.

    What’s interesting is the gap for “40s”.

    And, this wasn’t the case of a broken poll button, it’s something that crops up a lot in health-related sociological research. People who are most interested in taking extra care of their body are often:

    • Younger people full of optimism about maintaining this perfectly healthy body forever
    • Older people realizing “if I don’t want to suffer avoidable parts of age-related decline, now is the time to address these things”

    In between, we often have a gap whereby people no longer have the optimism of youth, but do not yet feel the pressure of older age.

    Which is not to say there aren’t 40-somethings who do care! Indeed, we know for a fact we have some subscribers in their 40s (and some in their 90s, too), just, they evidently didn’t vote in this poll.

    Anyway, let’s bust some myths…

    Aging is inevitable: True or False?

    False, probably. That seems like a bold (and fortune-telling) claim, so let’s flip it to deconstruct it more logically:

    Aging is, and always will be, unstoppable: True or False?

    That has to be “False, probably”. To say “true” now sounds like an even bolder claim. Just like “the moon will always be out of reach”.

    • When CPR was first developed, first-aiders were arrested for “interfering with a corpse”.
    • Many diseases used to be death sentences that are now “take one of these in the morning”
      • If you think this is an appeal to distant history, HIV+ status was a death sentence in the 90s. Now it’s “take one of these in the morning”.

    But, this is an appeal to the past, and that’s not always a guarantee of the future. Where does the science stand currently? How is the research and development doing on slowing, halting, reversing aging?

    We can slow aging: True or False?

    True! There’s a difference between chronological age (i.e., how much time has passed while we’ve been alive) and biological age (i.e., what our diverse markers of aging look like).

    Biological age often gets talked about as a simplified number, but it’s more complex than that, as we can age in different ways at different rates, for example:

    • Visual markers of aging (e.g. wrinkles, graying hair)
    • Performative markers of aging (e.g. mobility tests)
    • Internal functional markers of aging (e.g. tests for cognitive decline, eyesight, hearing, etc)
    • Cellular markers or aging (e.g. telomere length)
    • …and more, but we only have so much room here

    There are things we can do to slow most of those, including:

    In the case of cognitive decline particularly, check out our previous article:

    How To Reduce Your Alzheimer’s Risk

    It’s too early to worry about… / It’s too late to do anything about… True or False?

    False and False!

    Many things that affect our health later in life are based on early-life choices and events. So it’s important for young people to take advantage of that. The earlier one adopts a healthy lifestyle, the better, because, and hold onto your hats for the shocker here: aging is cumulative.

    However, that doesn’t mean that taking up healthy practices (or dropping unhealthy ones) is pointless later in life, even in one’s 70s and beyond!

    Read about this and more from the National Institute of Aging:

    What Do We Know About Healthy Aging?

    We can halt aging: True or False?

    False, for now at least. Our bodies are not statues; they are living organisms, constantly rebuilding themselves, constantly changing, every second of every day, for better or for worse. Every healthy or unhealthy choice you make, every beneficial or adverse experience you encounter, affects your body on a cellular level.

    Your body never, ever, stops changing for as long as you live.

    But…

    We can reverse aging: True or False?

    True! Contingently and with limitations, for now at least.

    Remember what we said about your body constantly rebuilding itself? That goes for making itself better as well as making itself worse.

    But those aren’t really being younger, we’ll still die when our time is up: True or False?

    False and True, respectively.

    Those kinds of things are really being younger, biologically. What else do you think being biologically younger is?

    We may indeed die when our time is up, but (unless we suffer fatal accident or incident first) “when our time is up” is something that is decided mostly by the above factors.

    Genetics—the closest thing we have to biological “fate”—accounts for only about 25% of our longevity-related health*.

    Genes predispose, but they don’t predetermine.

    *Read more: Human longevity: Genetics or Lifestyle? It takes two to tango

    (from the Journal of Immunity and Ageing)

    Don’t Forget…

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    Learn to Age Gracefully

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