Verde White Bean Chili

Let’s make some chili!

You don’t need meat to have this dish sing. My recipe is plant based, heart healthy, and will fill you up and leave you feeling good about yourself and your life choices. I got the idea for this meal by watching Katie Lee on “The Kitchen” on Food Network. She was making a Verde Chicken Chili with both ground chicken and shredded chicken breasts. I gotta be honest. I’ve been suspicious of chicken for a long time. You just don’t know where it comes from, how the chickens were treated, what they ate, or what possible unhealthy environments they were raised in. The thought just makes me queasy. 

It’s dishes like this that you could try once a week and start down the path of plant based, vegan, and/ or vegetarian eating and not realize you are eating plant based, because the flavors make your tongue dance with excitement. 

Verde White Bean Chili 

Roasted Verde Salsa (flavor booster for the chili – you could use a can of verde salsa but WHY? This is super easy and will knock your socks off!) 

8 tomatillos

2 jalapenos

2 poblano peppers

6 cloves garlic in their skins (if you leave them in their skins they will not burn while being roasted)

1 white onion chopped into quarters

2 cups of cilantro with tender stems

1 lime

salt and pepper 

1 tbsp. olive oil

Chili 

olive oil

1 tbsp. unsalted butter 

1 carrot diced

1 red bell pepper diced 

2 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. coriander

1 box vegetable stock (4 cups)

2 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed

2 can hominy drained and rinsed

1/2 cup cream cheese (there are Vegan options, but if you’re not too concerned about it use regular cream cheese for a Vegetarian meal) 

Toppings

Greek yogurt 

Shredded cheese

Green onions

Blue corn tortillas 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Place all Verde salsa veggie ingredients on a sheet pan. Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 20 minutes or until you see char. It will look like the veggies are burning and that’s what you want. 
3. Put jalapenos and poblanos into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove peppers and then with a knife remove the skin layer on the pepper and remove the stem and seeds from the inside. Place into a food processor. 
4. Remove garlic from their skins, add to food processor along with the onions, cilantro, lime, and a splash of olive oil. Blend until smooth. 
5. In a large dutch oven, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil and the butter. Add the carrots and let saute 3 – 4 minutes. Then add the bell peppers, cumin, coriander, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 
6. Add the verde salsa and chicken stock. Then add the beans and hominy. Stir well. 
7. Add the cream cheese and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the dish simmer for 30 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally so the beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Serve with your favorite toppings!