Vegan Mexican Posole Soup

OK I came from northern New England, where we are as white as wonder bread, so I don’t know me no Posole soup. But once I was transplanted to Cali I learned of this tasty and easy to make soup. I tried to reproduce the complex broth that is created when you simmer meat in your broth for hours  :( . I did this by roasting the veggies and the processing them to release all their flavors. You could try different peppers combinations depending on your level of courage. Good quality organic vegetable broth is essential to making this a successful soup. So go ahead and arrest me and handcuff me to the bed…..I cheated a little by using processed “fake” chicken but I have read elsewhere that other have tried shiitake mushrooms. Prep time is about 20 min. and you should have it on the table in an hour. That being said it is better the next day, so maybe make it after an evening run and have the next day after you get back from your brick!

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 roasted Anaheim peppers, chopped
• 1 Jalapeño
• 2 tbs fresh oregano
• 3 carrots, sliced or grated
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 15 ounce can hominy, rinsed
• 1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1  tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 2 tsp chili powder
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
• “fake” chicken

Preparation:

I used the fake chicken tenders from Quorn but Trader Joes has some good vegan chicken strips too. Fry and brown those up and set aside.

Take the garlic, onion, anaheims, and jalapeño and roast them under your broiler. I set my broiler to high and just rotate the pepper and shuffle around the garlic and onions. With the peppers you want to get their skins nice and black. In the time it takes that to happen, your onions and garlic will be done. Once done place the peppers in a bowl with plastic wrap over the top and let them cool. When cool peel off the blackened skin leaving the tender “meaty” part of the pepper. With the jalapeños the seed are the heat the more you leave the spicier the soup, ditch all the Anaheim seeds. Place onions, garlic, peppers and oregano and 2 cups of broth in a blender or processor and blend till smooth.

In a large pot place the oil and sauté the carrots for 5min. Turn the onion mixture into a pot with the rest of the broth, hominy, tomatoes and add the spices to taste. Allow simmer for at least 20 minutes. Garnish with a bit of chopped fresh cilantro and lime, if desired. Arriba!!