The Vegetable Diaries

This morning we woke up to a very light dusting of snow outside. It's the closest we've come to 'winter' so far this January (crazy weather!) and that made it seem like the perfect day to break out these recipes. This is another foray into the vegan world--I would say the chili is absolutely delicious. The cornbread is a little strange to my taste buds, but it worked well with the chili. To any omnivores (or lacto-ovos) out there, I'd say use whatever cornbread recipe you like, but keep the chili as it is.

Manzana Chili Verde with Double-Corn Cornbread
(from Veganomicon pages 172-3 and 223)





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The Chili
1 lb baby Yukon golds, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 T vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 jalapenos, seeded and sliced thinly
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped into 1" pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
1 t salt
1/3 c dry white wine
1 lb tomatillos, papery skin removed, washed, chopped into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, quartered, and sliced thinly
2 c vegetable broth
1 c loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/4 c shopped scallions
1 (15 oz) can small white beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime
Avocado slices for garnish

Place the chopped potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let boil, covered, for a little less than 20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside. Of course, you should be preparing everything else while it is boiling.

Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, jalapenos, and poblanos in oil for about 10 minutes, until everything is softened and the onions are slightly browned.

Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. Saute for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the white wine and tomatillos, raise the heat a bit to let the wine reduce and the tomatillos release their juices, about 5 minutes.

Add the apples, vegetable broth, scallions, and 1/2 c of cilantro. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to partially puree everything. If you don't have one, let the mixture cool slightly and pulse in a blender or food processor.

Taste for sweetness/tartness. Tomatillos are sometimes bitter; if that is the case, add a teaspoon or two of sugar and that should level things out. Add the cooked potatoes and the beans, simmer for a few more minutes, until everything is heated through.

Add the remaining cilantro and the lime juice. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the avocado and scallions, and serve.

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The Cornbread
1 c fresh or frozen and partially thawed corn kernels
1 T oil

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the corn kernels in oil for about 7 minutes, until the corn is slightly browned. Transfer to a bowl. Don't wash the pan; you'll pour the batter right into it in a bit.

2 c plain soy milk
2 t apple cider vinegar
2 c cornmeal
1 c all purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 c oil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a (9") cast-iron pan and place it in the oven to warm while the oven preheats.

Combine the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside to curdle as you prepare everything else.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Create a well in the center and add the soy milk mixture and oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix together until just combined; some lumps are okay. Fold the corn into the batter

Pour the batter into prepared cast-iron skillet. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick or butter knife inserted through the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool just a bit before serving.

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Notes
(from the book)
If you can't find poblanos, plain old green bell peppers taste good, too.

Also, as always, if you like things on the spicier side, keep the seeds from a jalapeno or two.

(mine)
As noted, I thought the vegan cornbread was a touch odd to me in taste and mouthfeel. If I were to make this chili again, I'd probably use a different cornbread recipe (in my case, the whole grain cornbread from the KA Flour Whole Grain Baking Book)

I've been having fun working a little more whole grain into my diet, too. In this case, I used 1 c of standard coarse grind cornmeal, and 1 c of a finer grind whole grain cornmeal.

I salt the water that potatoes are boiled in since potatoes always seem to need just a little more (and, well, that's what I was taught to do!).

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