Vegan Mushroom Chili

This recipe, courtesy of Kara Slowinski, was developed for R&R Cultivation.

Yield: 1.5 Gal (6qts)

Day before:

• 2 c dry kidney beans 
• 1 c dry black beans 
• Soak in water 24 hrs, strain
• (May substitute 2 15 oz cans kidney beans, 1 15 oz can black beans for day of; washed and strained) 

Shiitake stock:

• ½ # shiitake mushrooms, whole
• 3 qts cold water
• 1 white/yellow onion, peeled and quartered 
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 4 stalks celery, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 jalepeño, roughly chopped (with seeds)
• 1 TB whole black peppercorns 

Simmer on medium/low for about an hour, strain. Save liquid and discard veg.

Vegan Chili Ingredients

• 1 white/yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 2 stalks celery, washed and diced
• 2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (feel free to substitute a hotter pepper - or more!)
• ½ # shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and diced
• ½ # lion’s mane mushrooms, pulled in small pieces 
• 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 1 TB cumin powder
• 3 TB chili powder
• 1 TB smoked paprika
• 3 Bay leaves (fresh or dried) 
• 1 TB black pepper, freshly ground
• Kosher salt (to taste) 
• ½ c avocado oil 

For garnish: 

• ½ lime, juiced
• ¼ c cilantro, minced 
• 1 c vegan or non vegan sour cream 
• Kosher salt (to taste)

Method

1. Heat pot to medium, add oil. 
2. Sautée shiitake and lion’s mane until light golden brown. Add onion and celery and cook until soft. Add red pepper, jalepeño, and garlic and continue cooking gently. Lastly, add tomatoes and cook until softened. (Reminder: salt lightly as you go to bring out the full flavor of the ingredients!) 
3. Add spices: cumin, chili powder, paprika, bay leaves, black pepper, and some salt. Stir continuously.
4. Gently stir in tomato paste until all vegetables are coated and browning slightly. 
5. Add shiitake stock, and drained kidney and black beans. 
6. Simmer 1 1/2 hrs (if using soaked beans), 45 mins if using canned. (Option: finish in crockpot on medium/high heat)
7. Salt to taste (feel free to add any hot sauce to add more heat!). Make sure to remove bay leaves before serving.
8. For garnish: gently mix cilantro and lime into vegan/non vegan sour cream and salt to taste, dollop on bowls.