Vegan Pozole

Traditionally, my dad would make a big batch of menudo for New Years (we’re more of a menudo family than a pozole family). But this time I decided to make a Vegan Pozole for New Year’s Day with faux chicken bites I found at an Asian market. I also swung by Safeway to buy Gardein’s faux chicken as a back up.

• oil for sauteing
• Medium Onion, diced (reserve 3/4 cup diced onion for later)
• 3-4 Medium Dried California peppers
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 4 cups Veggie Broth
• 2 cup Water
• 29 oz can Hominy, drained
• Salt to taste
• 1 package Faux Chicken (chopped) or Firm Tofu (pressed and cubed)
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup Sliced Radishes
• 1 lemon

Optional: 1 tin of Beans (any kind)

1. If you are using tofu, you can use this method to press the tofu about an hour before you are going to use it.
2. Rinse dried peppers, remove stems and seeds, and soak in hot water for about 20 minutes.
3. When soft, blend peppers in 2-3 Tbs of soaking water with garlic and 1 tsp oregano until very smooth. Add more soaking water as needed, this step may take a while.
4. In a medium pot, saute onions for about 2 minutes.
5. If you are using a faux chicken or tofu, saute these for about 3 minutes.
6. Add broth and small portions of chile mixture at a time to your liking.
7. Add hominy.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. If you’re using beans, add them now.
10. Heat through for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.
11. Serve in a bowl and add small amounts of cabbage, diced onion, and radish.
12. Add lemon (to taste) and dried oregano (to taste).

Initially, the aroma of the chile mixture was not how I remembered and I thought I had a fail on my hands. But once the hominy was added and everything was warmed through it smelled just like I remembered. The taste was pretty close to my dad’s, so all in all it was a success.