Vegan Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable better than bouillon
- 1 ½ cup water
- 5 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried chile de árbols stems and seeds removed
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- 1 standard 15.5 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 bulb of garlic sliced
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp your favorite chili powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ can of Mexican beer such as Modelo especial
- 1 28 oz can of high quality diced tomatoes
- ⅓ cup tomato passata or tomato puree
- 2 standard 15.5 oz cans of your choice of beans partially drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ⅔ cup nutritional yeast
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce such as Haddar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- On the stovetop, bring the water and 2tbsp of the vegetable better than bouillon to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the bouillon is dissolved. As it is simmering, remove the stems and seeds from the chili peppers.
- In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, toast the chilis on a medium-high heat just until they start to smell aromatic or get a little bit of color. This will enhance their flavor. Do not toast for too long or they will begin to smoke and make the air unpleasant to breathe.
- Once toasted, immediately plunge the peppers into the water and better than bouillon mixture, remove from the heat, and place a lid on the pot to allow the peppers to steam and soften for at least 10 minutes.
- Dice the onion and thinly slice the garlic. Set aside.
- Add the olive oil and can of drained and rinsed black beans to the dutch oven. Using a potato masher, mash the beans a little bit to add more texture (almost like the ground beef). Sautee the beans on medium high heat for 4 minutes and then add the smoked paprika, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, onion powder, and diced onions.
- When the onions are translucent, add the sliced garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the beer and simmer on a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the chili peppers with the better than bouillon and water mixture until smooth. Add the chili pepper mixture to the pot.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the pot and let simmer on medium-high heat for another 4 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and spice level. Add salt, red pepper flakes, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and/or sugar as desired.
Notes
If you use the recommended peppers, this recipe will yield a medium-heat chili. If you want it to be milder, take out the chiles de árbol. If you want it spicier, add more chiles de árbol or red pepper flakes.