(Vegan) Southwestern Vegetable, Bean and Corn Chowder for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

Today we have sunshine...finally, but this chowder with its bright colors entered my mind during a week with lots of gray and rain. I wanted something bright, healthy but hearty and contained lots of beans and veggies. I was craving something slightly creamy rather than a stew or chili so I settled on a chowder, made vegan but bulked up with plenty of tasty ingredients and of course, fun toppings.

I almost put shrimp in this but decided to keep it vegan. If the beans and hominy aren't enough to satisfy you, you could certainly add them or even some cooked chicken. You could also add rice, change up the milk, and exchange any veggies you want. I kept mine on the medium-mild side of things--more warm-spiced than hot--but there is a definite kick on the end of the bite. Poblanos are generally on the milder side of chili peppers and I used mild green chiles too, but added spice with a chipotle-garlic spice blend, as well as some Aleppo pepper. Just change up your chili peppers to add more heat or serve it with your favorite hot sauce. 

 
Southwestern Vegetable, Bean and Corn Chowder
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Serves 8) 

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped, white & green parts separated
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 large Poblano chili peppers, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons chili pepper blend of choice (I used this one)
1 tsp, or to taste Aleppo pepper, or chili pepper of choice
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt = more to taste
4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (about 2 heaping cups)
1 (29 oz) can hominy, rinsed & drained (if you can't find add 2 more cans beans of choice)
1 (15 oz) can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can low-sodium pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5) can diced mild green chiles
2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can lite coconut milk

To garnish:
sliced avocado
fried tortilla strips or tortilla chips
green onions--green top only, sliced thinly
fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, white part of green onions, red pepper, poblanos and saute until softened--about ten minutes. Add garlic and all spices and saute another 2 minutes. 

Add potatoes, hominy, beans, green chiles, corn and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in coconut milk and simmer, partially covered until potatoes and other vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add as needed.

Ladle into bowls and serve hot with sliced avocado, fried tortilla strips, sliced green onions and cilantro as desired. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Notes/Results: I am a bit in love (or at least serious like) with this bean and vegetable chowder. It has a savory, slightly smoky broth with a warm, but not to spicy heat from the chili peppers. The corn adds bursts of sweetness and the hominy a pleasant chewiness, while the creamy avocado and crisp fried tortilla strips on top add their own welcome variations to the texture. The beans add fiber and protein and keep it satisfying--although not too heavy, making it great for whatever season or weather you might be having. I'll be happily enjoying this all week and would make it again.

We have some tasty dishes waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen, let's have a look!

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared a tasty sandwich, this Grilled Chicken Gyro and said, "This is the sandwich I was attempting to linkup with Deb's Souper Sunday for last week. Seriously delicious is grilled chicken with tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, lettuce and onions.  Flatbread is sturdy enough to hold all this without having too much breading. Bring it on."

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen made Black Beans and Tempeh Chile and said, "The tempeh in this Black Turtle Beans Chili made for a pleasant change. Neither of us are that keen on tempeh, but we enjoyed the texture it added. We not only enjoyed it over white Basmati rice, but also as Enchiladas and also straight out of a bowl with a spoon."

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought an Open-Faced Sandwich with Roasted Veggies and said, "Looking for a quick but healthy lunch idea? Open faced sandwiches hit the spot! I had some leftover roasted vegetables from the roasted vegetable tray I made for company last night, so I decided to make myself a treat for lunch."

Kim of Stirring the Pot made Giada's Burrata and Kale Salsa Verde Bruschetta and said, "Not only is this a gorgeous bruschetta, with colors resembling the Italian flag, but it's also bursting with flavor and texture. I loved biting into the crunchy ciabatta bread and tasting all the elements: the hint of char on the bread, the bright fresh flavor from kale salsa verde, the sweet chewy sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and decadently creamy and luscious burrata cheese. I want another piece just thinking about it!"

Thanks to everyone who joined me this week at Souper Sundays!

About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on the post you link up to be included.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!