Veggie White Chili with Poblanos

I love fall. It's no secret in my family that October and November are my two favorite months. I love the crisp, cool air. I love running in that cool air early in the morning. The leaves, especially sugar maple leaves! I love fall clothes so, so much. Boots. Sweaters. Why does it seem like fall doesn't last as long as it used to?

Something else I love about fall is making soup. Sunday afternoons are my time to prep soups, stews and chilis that can simmer for hours and make excellent leftovers and freeze well. We are pescetarian (we don't eat meat but we do occasionally eat fish) and I rarely use my crock pot because I just haven't found a lot of slow cooker recipes that are vegetarian. I stumbled upon this recipe recently that is veggie and I had to try it.

This Veggie White Chili with Poblanos may sound spicy, but it's really not unless you leave the seeds on the peppers. To cut down on prep time, I stock up on frozen bags of mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion mix) and Cajun mirepoix (green pepper, celery and onion mix).  

I was a little nervous about roasting the poblano peppers, but it turned out to be really simple. Here goes:

Veggie White Chili with Poblanos

Adapted from Potluck at Oh My Veggies

• 2 medium poblano peppers
• 1 frozen bag of Cajun mirepoix
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained
• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed under cold water and drained
• Garnishes: Cholula hot sauce, sour cream, mexican cheese

Instructions:

Photo courtesy of Potluck at Oh My Veggies

1. First, roast your poblanos. Turn the oven on to the high broil setting and move the rack to about one-third of the way from the top of the oven. Wash and dry whole peppers and place on a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and broil until all sides are blackened. I suggest not walking away! All ovens are different but this may only take a few minutes.
2. Remove peppers from the oven and carefully tent the foil over them to trap the heat and make the peppers sweat, which makes the skin peel easily.
3. While the poblanos are cooling, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the frozen Cajun mirepoix veggies. Cook for a few minutes until the veggies are warm throughout and softened.
4. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, cloves, and salt. Cook, stirring, for one minute.
5. Add a cup or so of broth and stir to make sure all the bits of flavor are scraped up into the broth. Carefully pour into the slow cooker along with the remaining vegetable broth, cannellini beans and quinoa.
6. Carefully peel the skin off of the poblanos and remove the stem. Remove the seeds for a milder chili; keep them for a hotter chili. Finely dice and add to the Crock Pot. Stir gently to mix all of the ingredients together.
7. Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours until the quinoa is tender and the chili is relatively thick. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
8. Scoop into bowls and garnish with additional toppings if desired.

I never know what to expect with the number of servings. We are all hearty eaters and something that is supposed to feed 6-8 often doesn't in my house! This chili went a long way so I would say it yielded at least 6-8 servings and thanks to all the quinoa and beans, it's very filling. 

Do you have soup, stew or chili recipes to share? Anything that could be converted to veggie? I need some inspiration!  Enjoy!