Vegan White Bean Chili

I love all kinds of chili, and during January will very often go on a meatless diet for four to six weeks. in an attempt to rid myself of carnivore toxins (and maybe some bad cholesterol too!).

Beans are an excellent source of protein during these diets, and I am always on the lookout for recipes which will be satisfying, yet suitable to replace the proteins that I am not taking in from animal products.  Great Northern Beans are an excellent substitute for these proteins and are flexible enough to work well in so many dishes.  They are my go to bean when I am looking to change out animal protein.

I'm going to give you two preparations for dried beans, one using the ubiquitous Instapot pressure cooker, and one using the old fashioned soaking method.  You can of course cut out these methods by using drained canned beans as a substituent, but I like to use the pressure-cooker bean juice too.

Traditional Bean Preparation

Pick through one pound of dried beans for stones, imperfections and other foreign objects such as twigs.  Rise the beans under cold water and place them in a sauce pot of salted water (about a teaspoon of salt to six cups of water).  Cover and let sit for eight hours minimum, or overnight.  Drain the water and add fresh salted water before bringing to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.

Instapot Preparation

Pick through beans as above and rinse.  Place in the Instapot and add up to six cups of low sodium vegetable stock.  Secure the lid and set the Instapot for 45 minutes, allowing the steam to vent naturally.  This will take an additional 15-20 minutes.

Chili Ingredients

1 onion, diced medium
1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced medium
1 red bell pepper, diced medium
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, fine diced or pressed
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Sprigs of cilantro, chopped
Baked corn tortilla chips

Directions

Prepare the beans first.  (If using the Instapot, you can do this beforehand and then saute the vegetables and cook the chili right in the unit.  I chose to use the stove top for final preparation). Saute the vegetables until the onions are clear and the garlic is fragrant, over medium heat.  Add the tomato paste, stir and cook until the paste begins to change color.  Ladle in the beans, with their juice, and add the sliced cherry tomatoes and spices. Now add the vegetable stock, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

Depending on how hearty you want your chili,  you may want to add more vegetable stock or water if it is too thick at this point. Check for salt and add chopped cilantro before serving.  Reserve a sprig or two of cilantro for garnish, as well as a few baked corn tortilla chips.

If you are like me and discovered during this meal prep that you were out of chili powder, you can make your own! Here's how:

1/8 cup paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon adobo powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper