Spicy Black Bean, Hominy and Kale Stew

My first experience with hominy was about 5 years ago, when I ate the most delicious vegetarian posole at one of my favorite cafes. I had no idea that hominy was made from corn (maize to be exact), or how it was made.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with hominy, it’s made when maize kernels are soaked in a solution of either lime or lye. This removes the hull and germ of the corn, causes the grain to puff up to about twice its normal size, and gives it a chewy texture.

Hominy has a unique, mild flavor, and is perfect in southwestern dishes – especially soups and stews! So I was super excited when I found this recipe on CookingLight.com for a Black Bean and Hominy Stew, which gave me the perfect opportunity to use hominy in a recipe for the first time at home.

The husband loved the spicy flavor of the soup and the great texture it had as well!

We ate it with some baked tortilla chips for some added crunch. I was able to make this recipe in about 40 minutes on a weeknight – after I had come home from work! I loved how quick and easy it was to make.

One note for this recipe: I had to use ready-to-eat hominy (which comes in a can), but I honestly prefer the texture and flavor from cooking dried hominy. The drawback for that is it’s a full day effort – you have to soak the hominy overnight, and let it cook for at least a couple hours on low heat to get it ready to go. I didn’t have that kind of time this week, so canned hominy it was! I just found a can that only had hominy, salt and water – so I felt ok about using it, especially since I rinsed the hominy after I got it out of the can.

Any way you make it, I promise it will be a crowd-pleaser at home. You can also add fun toppings to it like grated cheese, low fat sour cream or low fat Greek Yogurt, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, diced tomatoes – the list goes on and on!

The Ingredients

Recipe from CookingLight.com, minor modifications in this recipe below

• 2 poblano chiles
• 8 ounces tomatillos, husks removed and halved ( about 4)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 ( 15.5 ounce) cans unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 ( 8 ounce) bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves chopped ( about 4 packed cups)
• 1 ( 15 ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained. Note: Use canned hominy if you are short on time. If you have time, then for a better flavor & texture use dried hominy. Soak it in cold water overnight (for at least 8 hours), and then simmer it for 1-2 hours until it is cooked.
• 6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream or 2% Greek yogurt
• 2 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese ( about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

The Directions

Step 1 (Option 1 for cooking the poblano peppers):  - Preheat broiler to high.Place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 7 minutes on each side or until blackened and charred. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel chiles; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes; coarsely chop. Set aside.

Step 1 (Option 2): Alternatively, you can just dice the poblano chiles and throw them into the pot with the onions & jalapeño if you don’t feel like roasting them! I chose this option because it was faster. The poblano chiles still had great flavor to them.

Step 2: Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and jalapeño; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Step 3: Meanwhile, place the tomatillos in a food processor, and process until smooth. Set aside.

Step 4: Add garlic and cumin; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatillos, broth, and next 4 ingredients (through kale); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add roasted poblanos and hominy; cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Step 5: Ladle into each of 4 shallow bowls; top evenly with sour cream/Greek yogurt and/or cheese. Sprinkle with cilantro. This stew had such deep flavor, it tasted like it had been cooking on the stovetop for hours. We both went back for seconds, and then used the leftovers a couple days later as a topping for nachos (without the stew liquid). The husband said this recipe reminded him of a Mexican take on my White Bean and Kale Soup - which totally made sense to me. What a difference a change in spices can make! I wouldn’t be surprised if this recipe made an appearance on our dinner table again very soon

Black Bean, Hominy and Kale Stew

From The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog | Main Dishes | Mexican

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From CookingLight.com
Per serving: 1.25 cups of Stew
Calories: 240
Fat: 7.7g
Protein: 10.9g
Carbohydrate: 33.3g
Fiber: 8g

Total 00:40 Prep 00:20 Cook 00:20 6 servings Servings1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Metric US

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chiles
• 8 ounces tomatillos, husks removed and halved ( about 4)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 ( 15.5- ounce) cans unsalted black beans , rinsed and drained
• 1 ( 8- ounce) bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves chopped ( about 4 packed cups)
• 1 ( 15- ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained
• 6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream or 2% Greek yogurt
• 2 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese ( about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 7 minutes on each side or until blackened and charred. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel chiles; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes; coarsely chop. Set aside. [Alternatively, you can just dice the poblano chiles and throw them into the pot with the onions & jalapeño if you don't feel like roasting them!]
3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and jalapeño; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, place the tomatillos in a food processor, and process until smooth. Set aside.
5. Add garlic and cumin; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatillos, broth, and next 4 ingredients (through kale); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add roasted poblanos and hominy; cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
6. Ladle into each of 4 shallow bowls; top evenly with sour cream/Greek yogurt and/or cheese. Sprinkle with cilantro.

– Nutrition Facts

for 100 grams

Calories Fat Cal. Nutrition Facts Description Wikipedia Analyzed by Kitchenbug