Three-Bean Chili & Cashew Cream
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.
A hearty classic with a twist! Delicious and filling and full of protein, fiber, and powerful phytonutrients (including heavy-hitters ergothioneine and lycopene), this recipe is also quite flexible, so you can always add in extra seasonal vegetables if you like (to get you started: cherry tomatoes in summer and sweet potato in fall are fine options)!
You will need
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock (ideally you made it yourself from vegetable offcuts you kept in the freezer for this purpose, but if not, you should be able to find low-sodium stock cubes)
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 4 oz mushrooms, chopped
- ½ bulb garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 red chili pepper, finely chopped (multiply per your heat preferences)
- 1 tbsp ground paprika
- 1 tbsp black pepper, coarse ground
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
For the cashew cream:
- 6 oz cashews, soaked in kettle-hot water for at least 15 minutes
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp lemon juice
To serve:
- Handful of chopped parsley
- Your carbohydrates of choice; we recommend our Tasty Versatile Rice recipe, and/or our Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread recipe.
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Heat some olive oil in a skillet and fry the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring as necessary.
2) Add the garlic and chili and cook for a further 1 minute.
3) Add the celery, carrot, and mushrooms and continue cooking for 1–2 minutes.
4) Add everything else from the main section, taking care to stir well to distribute the seasonings evenly. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5) While you are waiting, drain the cashews, and add them to a high-speed blender with ½ cup (fresh) cold water, as well as the nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Blend on full power until smooth; this may take about 3 minutes, so we recommend doing it in 30-second bursts to avoid overheating the motor. You’ll also probably need to scrape it down the sides at least once. You can add a little more water if you want the cream to be thinner than it is appearing, but go slowly if you do.
6) Serve with rice, adding a dollop of the cream and garnishing with parsley, with bread on the side if you like.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
- Three Daily Servings of Beans?
- Kidney Beans or Black Beans – Which is Healthier?
- What Matters Most For Your Heart?
- “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin)
- Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
- Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Recommended
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Eggplant vs Tomato – Which is Healthier?
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.
Our Verdict
When comparing eggplant to tomato, we picked the eggplant.
Why?
Both have their merits! But…
In terms of macros, eggplant has nearly 3x the fiber, as well as slightly more carbs and protein, making it the most nutritionally dense option in the macros category.
In the category of vitamins, eggplant has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and choline, while tomatoes have more of vitamins A, C, E, and K. So, very different vitamin coverage from each one, and/but by the numbers, eggplant wins.
When it comes to minerals, eggplant has more copper, magnesium, manganese, and selenium, while tomatoes have more calcium and iron. The margins of difference are very small in all cases, and they’re equal in phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. So this one’s very close, but by the numbers, eggplant scrapes a marginal victory.
Looking at phytochemicals, they’re about equal on polyphenols, though it’s worth mentioning that tomatoes are a famously good source of lycopene, which isn’t a polyphenol, but it is a very beneficial carotenoid, so we’ll say tomatoes get the win this round.
Adding up the sections, though, makes for an overall win for eggplant, but tomatoes are great too, and mostly in different ways than eggplant, which makes them extra good to enjoy together (salad, ratatouille, etc) for their very complementary health benefits!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
Enjoy!
Share This Post
-
Vagus Nerve Reset To Release Stress/Trauma Stored In The Body
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.
Trauma is often more about how your nervous system processed the experience than the event itself (for this reason, sometimes the same kind of event can affect different people very differently). The resultant rewiring can then perpetuate or even strengthen itself over time, the effects of which are often not fabulous.
However, it is possible to do a sort of neurological reset, which won’t completely overwrite what was there before, but will soften it and allow cumulative progress the more the practice is undertaken:
What happens in vagus…
…doesn’t have to stay there. The vagus nerve, as regular 10almonds readers may remember, is one of the main links between your brain and gut, and, being the “wandering” nerve (“vagus” literally means “wandering”), it’s accessible at quite a few places, in quite a few ways. This means that while a lot of information is travelling up the vagus nerve into the brain, it’s possible to modify its signal slightly and engage the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering a neurological “letting go” response.
Here’s a good one:
- Check your neck mobility before you start (notice how stiff or supple it is).
- Lie on your back (knees bent or legs straight, per your comfort and preference).
- Interlace your fingers and cradle the back of your head.
- Keep your head centered and move your eyes to the right for about 30 seconds (if you are in a room with a ticking clock, this is idea, to save you needing a visual cue).
- Return your eyes to rest at the center, then repeat on the left side.
- Notice any signs like sighs, deeper breaths, yawns, or swallowing—these indicate vagus nerve activation.
- Afterward, check neck mobility again to notice any changes.
- If no nervous system response occurs in 30 seconds, hold the eye position longer (60+ seconds).
For more on all of this plus a visual demonstration, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
The Vagus Nerve (And How You Can Make Use Of It)
Take care!
Share This Post
-
52 Weeks to Better Mental Health – by Dr. Tina Tessina
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.
We’ve written before about the health benefits of journaling, but how to get started, and how to make it a habit, and what even to write about?
Dr. Tessina presents a year’s worth of journaling prompts with explanations and exercises, and no, they’re not your standard CBT flowchart things, either. Rather, they not only prompt genuine introspection, but also are crafted to be consistently uplifting—yes, even if you are usually the most disinclined to such positivity, and approach such exercises with cynicism.
There’s an element of guidance beyond that, too, and as such, this book is as much a therapist-in-a-book as you might find. Of course, no book can ever replace a competent and compatible therapist, but then, competent and compatible therapists are often harder to find and can’t usually be ordered for a few dollars with next-day shipping.
Bottom line: if undertaken with seriousness, this book will be an excellent investment in your mental health and general wellbeing.
Click here to check out 52 Weeks to Better Mental Health, and get on the best path for you!
Share This Post
Related Posts
-
Codependent No More – by Melody Beattie
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.
This is a book review, not a book summary, but first let’s quickly cover a common misconception, because the word “codependent” gets misused a lot in popular parlance:
- What codependence isn’t: “we depend on each other and must do everything together”
- What codependence is:“person 1 has a dependency on a substance (or perhaps a behavior, such as gambling); person 2 is trying to look after person 1, and so has developed a secondary relationship with the substance/behavior. Person 2 is now said to be codependent, because it becomes all-consuming for them too, even if they’re not using the substance/behavior directly”
Funny how often it happens that the reality is more complex than the perception, isn’t it?
Melody Beattie unravels all this for us. We get a compassionate and insightful look at how we can look after ourselves, while looking after another. Perhaps most importantly: how and where to draw a line of what we can and cannot do/change for them.
Because when we love someone, of course we want to fight their battles with them, if not for them. But if we want to be their rock of strength, we can’t get lost in it too, and of course that hurts.
Beatty takes us through these ideas and more, for example:
- How to examine our own feelings even when it’s scary
- How to practice self-love and regain self-worth, while still caring for them
- How to stop being reactionary, step back, and act with purpose
If the book has any weak point, it’s that it repeatedly recommends 12-step programs, when in reality that’s just one option. But for those who wish to take another approach, this book does not require involvement in a 12-step program, so it’s not a barrier to usefulness.
Click here to check out Codependent No More and take care of yourself, too
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
The Oh She Glows Cookbook – by Angela Liddon
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.
Let’s get the criticism out of the way first: notwithstanding the subtitle promising over 100 recipes, there are about 80-odd here, if we discount recipes that are no-brainer things like smoothies, sides such as for example “roasted garlic”, or meta-ingredients such as oat flour (instructions: blend the oats and you get oat flour).
The other criticism is more subjective: if you are like this reviewer, you will want to add more seasonings than recommended to most of the recipes. But that’s easy enough to do.
As for the rest: this is a very healthy cookbook, and quite wide-ranging and versatile, with recipes that are homely, with a lot of emphasis on comfort foods (but still, healthy), though certainly some are perfectly worthy of entertaining too.
A nice bonus of this book is that it offers a lot of available substitutions (much like we do at 10almonds), and also ways of turning the recipe into something else entirely with just a small change. This trait more than makes up for the slight swindle in terms of number of recipes, since some of the recipes have bonus recipes snuck in.
Bottom line: if you’d like to broaden your plant-based cooking range, this book is a fine option for expanding your repertoire.
Click here to check out The Oh She Glows Cookbook, and indeed glow!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
The Diet That Reduces Postmenopausal Weight Gain, Hot Flashes, & More
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.
In this week’s health news…
A prescription for plants
“Eat plants” may not seem like breaking news, but what’s new here is…
❝Avoiding animal products and instead eating vegan foods including veggie burgers, breads and cereals, and fruits and vegetables is a prescription for fighting hot flashes.
Even plant-based foods that are considered ultra-processed—like soy milk and vegan meat and yogurt alternatives—bring health benefits, including weight loss and a reduction in hot flashes.❞
~ Dr. Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
In terms of numbers, those who switched to a plant-based diet for the duration of the 12-week study enjoyed:
- 92% reduction in severe hot flashes (compared to no reduction in the control group)
- 88% reduction in moderate hot flashes (compared to 34% reduction in the control group)
- 8 lbs reduction in weight (compared to 8 oz reduction in the control group)
Read in full: Plant-based diet reduces weight and hot flashes in postmenopausal women, finds new study
Related: The Whys and Hows of Cutting Meats Out Of Your Diet
Mediterranean Diet vs IBS
When it comes to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), what’s usually recommended is a low-FODMAP diet. Which works, but it’s a very restrictive diet, and can be difficult to adhere to, especially if one wants to get plenty of fiber (which someone with IBS still needs).
This new study found that the Mediterranean diet (famously rich with plants) resulted in meeting the criteria for IBS symptom amelioration in 73% of cases—compared to 82% in the low-FODMAP group of the same study.
In other words, low-FODMAP is still slightly better for IBS, but a) only slightly better b) much more restrictive
…which may make the Mediterranean diet an option well-worth seriously considering, for many:
Read in full: Mediterranean diet provides symptom relief for patients with irritable bowel syndrome in pilot study
Related: Four Ways To Upgrade The Mediterranean Diet
Alcohol-Related Cancer Deaths Steadily Rising In The US
Most people know that alcohol is bad for us in many ways, but most don’t know that alcohol causes cancer. Literally, nationwide polling in the US found that only 45% knew this.
While alcohol consumption levels are overall going down on a population level, this is largely due to growing younger generations of non-drinkers or rarely-drinkers, while older drinkers are dying from alcohol-related cancers at an increasing rate:
❝[Dr. Jani et al.] found that between 1990 and 2021, the total number of alcohol-related cancer deaths nearly doubled in the U.S., rising from just under 12,000 deaths per year to just over 23,000.
The burden is especially high in men over 55, who saw their alcohol-linked cancer mortality rise by a bit over 1% every year between 2007 and 2021❞
Furthermore,
❝Among all cancers combined, the percentage of cancer deaths likely due to alcohol consumption increased by nearly 50% between 1990 and 2021.❞
Read in full: Alcohol-fueled cancer deaths are on the rise in the US
Related: How Much Alcohol Does It Take To Increase Cancer Risk?
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
