It’s officially spring, right? I’m certain it is, but when I look outside my window, I see SNOW. That’s right, SNOW. During a winter when we had nearly no snow at all, it’s now snowing in the first week of April, and more is expected later this week. Ugh.
We can either hole up inside and eat comfort food that’s not-so-healthy (tempting), or we can hole up inside and make this warm and comforting, yet crazy-healthy, Vegetarian Chili Verde. Whaddaya say?!
I’m a huge fan of chili…all types really (remember that Kicked Up Black Bean Turkey Chili? Yum). But this chili is one of my favorites because of it’s vegetarian ways. Even the meat-and-potato man in my life likes this chili because it’s still thick and hearty despite being chock full of only colorful vegetables…and a few other unusual ingredients too, like tomatillos and hominy.
Never cooked with tomatillos before? Not to worry. Choose ones that are on the firm side, not squishy, peel off the papery skin and then wash them well, as they have a slightly sticky feel on the outside. Then chop them up, like you would a tomato, and throw them in the pot. And hominy? Hominy is made from whole corn kernels that have been soaked to soften them, making them puffy and a little chewy….which makes for a unique texture twist in this green chili. You can find hominy in your regular grocery store near where you’d buy canned green chiles or beans. Just make sure you look for a brand that has only three ingredients: hominy, water and salt.
And although this green and gold chili would be perfectly fitting for a Packers game come fall, it’s also more than fitting for this chilly spring we’re having right now.
Warmer spring weather will be here soon enough, I know. In the meantime, I’ll think warm thoughts and enjoy a bowl of Vegetarian Chili Verde while we stare at the flurries outside our back window.
Sigh.
Little Hands Can…
- Peel and wash the tomatillos
- Throw the chopped vegetables into the pot
- Measure and add the spices to the chili
- Serve and top the chili with choice of toppings (I often serve this chili to Em over some rice)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 small/medium sweet potatoes
- 3 small/medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 large tomatillos
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (25-28 ounce) can hominy
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 small cans diced mild green chiles (4.5 ounces each)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- Sliced avocado, lime wedges, shredded or crumbled cheese, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, etc. for topping the chili
- Wash and prepare your vegetables: Dice the onion. Dice the sweet potatoes and gold potatoes into small, ½-inch cubes (you can peel them if you want to, but you don't have to). Peel the papery skins off the tomatillos and wash them well. Then remove the core and chop them so they are a similar size to the potatoes. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the poblano pepper in half, remove the seeds and then cut it into four large strips.
- In a large, heavy-bottom pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, sweet potatoes, gold potatoes, tomatillos, garlic and poblano pepper strips. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften and give off some of their juices.
- Add the flour and stir. Then add the oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and stir. Add the hominy, including the water it's packed in, and the vegetable broth. Cover and simmer the chili for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the chili simmers, add the diced green chiles to a food processor. Using a pair of tongs, grab the poblano pepper strips from the simmering chili and add them to the food processor. Pulse the chiles and pepper together until combined and smooth. This mixture is what gives the chili it's vibrant green color. Add the pepper mixture back into the pot and continue to simmer the chili for another 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes are fully cooked through and soft. Add the corn and heat for an additional 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Top with sliced avocado, a squeeze of lime, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.
You should be able to find hominy in the Mexican-food section of the grocery store where you find the cans of green chiles. White or golden hominy are both fine. I like the Mexican-style hominy. Look for a brand that lists only "hominy, water and salt" as ingredients.
You can substitute chicken broth for the vegetable broth if you're not worried about keeping the dish strictly vegetarian.
Recipe adapted slightly from one of my favorites, Giada de Laurentiis
On the Side
This Vegetarian Chili Verde recipe is chock full of sweet potato and gold potato cubes that remind me of the base-ten blocks that are used in classrooms to teach place value…so with this recipe, we’re using our potato “base-ten” cubes to learn just that! (…and maybe building some potato block towers too). Get the base ten basics here!
Mary Lou Nall says
April 4, 2016 at 9:26 PMI give 5 stars to those cute little pigtails on Em!!
Sally says
April 4, 2016 at 10:03 PMThe pigtails were particularly bouncy that day 🙂