Creamy White Bean Chili with Corn

 

A few weeks ago in the mHp Facebook group our Plant of the Week (POW) was white beans. One group member, Selena, commented that she likes to make white bean chili.

This got me thinking… I’ve made white chicken chili several times in the past, but I’d never made a plant-based version of this dish!

Why hadn’t I done this sooner?! White chili is so delicious!

My inspiration came from this recipe at onegreenplanet.org. This is an adapted version, based on personal taste preferences.

I’m really happy with how this plant-based white chili turned out. It’s good on its own or served over a bed of brown rice, topped with cilantro, avocado, tomato, and/or diced jalepeno. Yum!

What I Like About This Recipe

• Sweet corn complements the beans nicely.

• It’s creamy.

• It’s got a nice kick to it.

• It’s healthy!

Ingredients

For the chili:

• 1 bell pepper (I ended up using half of a yellow pepper and half of an orange pepper.)

• 1 onion, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 cups water

• 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base

• 4 15.5-ounce cans white beans (I used Great Northern beans), rinsed and drained.

• One 12-oz package frozen sweet corn

• One 7-ounce can of green chilis

• 1 Tbsp chili powder

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• Cayenne pepper to taste, optional (I love spicy food, but not everyone in my family does, so I left it out but sprinkled some in my bowls of chili.)

• 1 fresh jalepeno, seeded and chopped, optional (Again, since not everyone in my family likes spicy food, I added fresh jalepeno as a garnish to individual bowls.)

• Fresh cilantro, optional, as a garnish

• Chopped fresh tomato and avocado also make nice garnishes, if you have some.

For the Cashew Cream:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked 2-4 hours (I boiled the water in the microwave beforehand.)

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

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Steps

1. In a large pot, saute the onion, peppers, and garlic with 2-3 Tbsp water until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add additional water as needed to keep them from sticking.

2. Add the rest of the chili ingredients, except the fresh garnishes.

3. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are soft. Then remove from heat.

4. To make the cashew cream, combine the soaked cashews, 1/2 cup of the soup broth, and the tablespoon of lemon juice in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, adding additional broth if needed.

5. Stir the cashew cream into the chili.

6. Serve chili with fresh cilantro and/or other garnishes you like (such as tomato, avocado, and jalepeno pepper).

7. Enjoy!

This recipe was originally published on March 6, 2020.

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