Marlon Aitcheson's Vegan Two-Bean Chile Chili with Cashew Cream
Serves 8 people
Habaneros are extremely hot peppers, I like to use green ones because they tend to be milder
than orange or red ones. You can seed them for less heat if you like (but I like to leave the seeds in). When handling spicy chiles, always be careful to not touch your face or eyes after
chopping.
Chili
3 tablespoons safflower oil
2 11oz packages Beyond Beef pea protein [how large are the packages?
1 large onion yellow, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves Smashed and Chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 serrano chiles finely chopped
2 green habanero peppers finely chopped
½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves no stems, plus extra chopped
cilantro for garnish
Two 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked beans)
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 1½ cups cooked beans)
Three 15-ounce cans tomato puree
1½ cups water
1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt, plus extra if needed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium Hass avocados, halved, pitted and chopped
Cashew Cream
½ cup raw cashews
¼ cup finely chopped scallions (4 to 6 scallions)
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup water
Fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the pot is hot, add the oil and the pea protein -- do not stir. Let the pea protein sear in the pot, then stir in the onion, garlic, cumin and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the red bell pepper, serrano and habanero and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers start to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beans, then add the tomato puree and water, turn the heat to high to bring to a boil. Stir in the salt, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
3. While the chili cooks, make the cashew cream: Add the cashews, scallions, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, water and a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Puree until smooth, taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Set aside.
4. Stir the cilantro into the chili and taste, and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve the chili topped with a spoonful of cashew cream, some chopped avocado and cilantro.