New Mexican Posole- Vegetarian

Posole is one of those hearty New Mexican dishes that I grew up eating, but have never found a good vegetarian version of the dish on a menu. Before soup season slips away from us, I wanted to try my hand at a veg version of the dish, using pinto beans in place of thy typical shredded beef.

Hominy is of course the star of the show. If you are unfamiliar with hominy, they are dried corn kernels that have been treated to be more easily digested. They offer a delightful texture to dishes like this one, with a unique puffy chewiness that is hard to explain if you haven’t tried hominy before.

This stew is perfectly spicy, and because of the hominy and beans, it’s amazingly filling too. Perfect for these last few days of winter, to warm you from the inside out.

Ingredients:

• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped green chile
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup diced yellow onion
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon red chile powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and green chile, cook for extra 2 minutes.
2. Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, cumin, and red chile powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Add hominy and pinto beans, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 additional minutes then remove from heat.
4. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cheddar or a dollop of sour cream if desired.