Cozy Vegan Pozole
When winter rolls around, I find myself making soups more often than not, particularly for lunches to take to work throughout the week. Soups are usually quick and easy to throw together, and I can make a large batch that will last the whole week. I try to eat vegetarian for breakfast and lunch each day, so I’ve found ways to create recipes I love that traditionally include meat to be vegetarian or vegan. Pozole is one of those dishes; it’s a traditional Mexican soup that is usually made with pork, and just warms me up when it’s cold out. The spices from the chile peppers and tender chewiness of the hominy satisfy my desire for something hearty.
Many people may not be familiar with hominy or realize that it is considered a whole grain. Hominy is the result of soaking corn in an alkali solution, and is usually used to make masa for tortillas or ground into grits, but it’s also delicious on it’s own, either in a pozole soup or even sauteed and served as a side for another dish. I’ve suggested using canned hominy for this recipe, but you can also buy dried hominy and then soak and cook it for this recipe, which is what I did. I usually keep dried hominy on hand at home in addition to a variety of other whole grains to help keep my fiber intake high.
As I thought about how to make a vegan pozole, my mind immediately went to mushrooms. Mushrooms are meaty, and a great source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, which is something many of us struggle to get enough of in the dark winter months. I love to get mushrooms from local mushroom farmers, and lucky for me, a local farmer sells his mushrooms at Central Market in Dallas. I find that shiitake mushrooms from small producers are much more dense, and quite frankly, delicious, than the smaller varieties you typically find at a grocery store, but either works for this recipe.
Use of the dried chile peppers for this recipe may feel a little intimidating at first (I know I was the first time I cooked with them), but they’re quite easy to use and great to keep on hand since they have a much longer shelf life than fresh peppers. There are many different varieties, so you can use whatever you have access to at your local grocery store, as they all work, you may just want to use trial and error (and Google) to determine the heat level best for you. I personally use a few large chiles and then several smaller ones to get the right spice for me. Be sure to take the stems off and shake the seeds out prior to rehydrating to keep the spice level reasonable. If you find at the end of preparing the soup that it’s too spicy for you, you can use a little white vinegar to neutralize the heat. Chile peppers are a great source of vitamin C, and have been found to have some anti-obesity mechanisms due to the phytochemicals present in chiles.
This recipe is a little light on protein, so you can play around with the recipe and add different proteins like pinto beans or diced tofu to keep it vegan, or add in chicken or pork for a more traditional pozole. I’ve made this recipe with all of the above at one point or another and it’s always delicious. Feel free to play around with toppings as well; I like to add some lime juice, chopped cilantro, and diced avocado on top of my soup, but there are several other suggestions included below.
Recipe: Cozy Vegan Pozole
Hominy is the result of soaking corn in an alkali solution and can be used to make masa for tortillas, ground into grits, or eaten whole. Hominy is considered a whole grain and is a good source of fiber, while also being very versatile. Hominy is traditionally used in pozole, a Mexican soup that traditionally features pork, and here is used in a simple vegan take on pozole.
Ingredients
3-5 dried chile peppers of your choice, depending on heat
25 oz can of hominy, or approximately 3 cups cooked hominy
8 oz shiitake mushrooms
½ onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
Optional topping ideas: Avocado, radishes, lime juice, cilantro, chopped onion, chopped jalapeno, crispy tortilla strips
Procedure
Remove seeds and stems from dried chile peppers and place peppers in a bowl or dish and cover in boiling water to rehydrate. Let soak for 15-20 minutes.
Drain can of hominy and rinse with cold water.
Clean and chop shiitake mushrooms into 1-2 inch pieces. Note: Typically you wouldn’t want to wash mushrooms in water because they will absorb the water and would instead clean any dirt off with a towel, but since these are going in a soup, you can wash with water for ease.
Chop onion and garlic.
Once chile peppers are rehydrated, place peppers with water in a blender and blend well. You may want to strain out the remaining pieces of pepper, or you can leave them in the resulting liquid.
Place liquid in a pot on a stove and add hominy, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Add water as needed to cover ingredients.
Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Serve soup as-is, or any variety of toppings. Suggested toppings include avocado, lime juice, cilantro, chopped onion, chopped jalapeno, radishes, or crispy tortilla strips.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
