Three-Bean Chili & Cashew Cream

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!