Vegetarian Tofu Chili

I know the title of the post is probably off-putting to most of my omnivore friends. Tofu - YUK! I hope that this chili will change the way you feel about it. I now prefer it to the chili dishes  I make with ground beef or beef chuck.


Last year Mike and I began eating at least one meatless day per week.  We now eat about 50% of our meals without using meat.  I found this recipe at about.com. This web site is described by google as "a valuable resource for content that helps people to solve the large and small needs of everyday life." We have several vegetarian and vegan friends and wanted to be able to serve them the same dish, sans meat, that our meat eating friends were having.  This was perfect.




VEGETARIAN TOFU CHILI

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 14 oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz can whole or diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 28 oz can kidney beans, drained
• 3 tbsp sugar

Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the tofu in the vegetable oil over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the onions, green pepper, garlic, mushroms, chili powder, salt and pepper, cayenne and cumin. Cook until veggies are just barely tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, whole or diced tomatoes, beans and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and allow to cook for at least 45 minutes.

I hardly ever use kidney beans.  I think they are hard even after cooking for 45 minutes.  I like to mix it up choosing a mix of either black, pinto, chili or cannellini beans. This makes eight entree servings and freezes really well.

Today in Columbus, IN we are enjoying a wonderful snow storm.  It is a great day for a hot steaming bowl of chili.  Life is good - enjoy!