Vegetarian White Chili With Optional Chicken Food

EASY VEGETARIAN WHITE BEAN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat a bit of olive oil in a 6-quart stock pot. Saute the garlic, bell pepper, and onion for around 5 minutes or just until tender.
• Add vegetable broth, cream cheese, white chili seasoning (or substitute seasonings), and green chilies. Cook for around 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Add beans and corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until ingredients are heated through. Serve topped with your favorite toppings (e.g., sour cream, avocado, shredded cheese, olives). Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week.

VEGETARIAN WHITE CHILI

Steps:

• In 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until translucent. Add cumin and coriander; cook about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add corn and chiles; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until corn begins to brown.
• Add half of the beans and the vegetable broth. Heat to boiling over high heat. Mash remaining beans with fork. Add to saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue to cook 18 to 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Divide chili evenly among 4 bowls. Top each with 1 teaspoon of the tomatillo salsa. Top with sour cream and cilantro.

20-MINUTE VEGETARIAN WHITE BEAN CHILI

Steps:

• Set a medium-to-large pot over low heat. Add the olive oil, onion, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, for another minute.
• Add the broth, beans, chiles, cloves, and cayenne. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-5 more minutes until thickened a tiny bit.
• Remove from heat. Run a potato masher or fork through 5-6 times just to smash a few of the beans and help thicken it all up. Squeeze the lime over the top and stir. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
• Serve with assorted toppings if desired. I'm partial to this vegan cashew sour cream - yum!

SPICY CHILI VERDE WITH WHITE BEANS & OPTIONAL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse off any dirt. Place tomatillos and jalapeno peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. If you want to minimize the risk of the tomatillos exploding, score them by giving each a quick shallow slice with a knife - though I've never done this. Which is probably one of many reasons why I need to clean my oven.
• Bake, turning tomatillos and peppers over once about 15 minutes in, until they're soft and blackened in spots, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• While the tomatillos and the peppers are roasting, assemble the base of the soup. To a large saucepan or medium soup pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. When heated, add the onion and oregano. Saute until soft and fragrant but not browned. Add garlic, coriander, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, for one more minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for three minutes. Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, stirring while you pour.
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Peel jalapenos and taste the flesh. If they're very mild, you may want to add both peppers to the soup, seeds and all. On the other hand, if they're particularly hot, you may want to discard the seeds entirely and only one pepper, or even half of one pepper. Jalapenos can vary greatly in heat, so I've learned tasting and then adding cautiously is the way to go. Add the tomatillos and juices from the pan to the soup as well.
• Remove soup from heat and, using an immersion blender or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches, puree the soup. Return to medium-low heat. Add the beans and the can of diced green chilies and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
• If adding chicken to half, set a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and transfer about 3 cups of the chili to the pan. Add cooked shredded chicken and stir. Bring to a simmer then serve. If adding chicken to all, add it to the main pot now.
• Bring to a simmer to heat the chilies and white beans. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.
• Ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro leaves, additional lime wedges for squeezing over the top, and sour cream or Greek yogurt if desired.
• Leftovers keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

INSTANT POT® VEGETARIAN WHITE "CHICKEN" CHILI

Steps:

• Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®), select Saute function, and add olive oil. Add onion, jalapeno peppers, bell pepper, and garlic to hot oil; saute until onions begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add artificial chicken pieces and saute for another 3 minutes.
• Add vegetable broth, pinto beans, frozen cauliflower, frozen corn, oregano, cumin, pepper, and salt. Close and lock the lid. Select Soup function and set timer for 15 minutes.
• Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, for 5 minutes. Release remaining pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid.
• Stir in sour cream. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro.