Tofu Chili is a go-to on meatless Monday because it gives us all the flavour of a regular chili con carne minus the meat. Around here, we call it Chili Con Tofu. Tofu is brilliant at taking on whatever flavour you add!
This is also a great recipe to empty the pantry. Got a can of mini corn or aduki beans? Throw them in! As usual, we’re going full-on organic (and of course, gluten free).
Whenever a recipe calls for onion, I just remember I’m crying tears of joy in contemplation of a delicious meal :).
Lots of recipes will tell you to throw the garlic in at the same time as the onion, but I find it can go bitter that way.
Onion and red pepper take longer to soften so I always cook them first before adding in the garlic for a minute until fragrant.
Once the spices hit the heat, it really starts to smell like chili!
Cook it out before moving onto the next step; that will release the oils.
You can use whatever canned tomatoes you have on hand, but we love chopped tomatoes. That’s because the added texture ensures we’re not missing the meat!
Chipotle adds a nice smokiness to the recipe, but if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to substitute another pepper like a diced jalapeño.
In 99.9% of our dishes, we always use extra firm tofu (this is our favourite organic brand). No one wants mushy chili!
Garlic bread is the perfect accompaniment to any meal, but especially this one! Not that we’re warding off vampires or anything, but you can never have to much garlic!
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Tofu Chili
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 medium red onions finely chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1 can corn cobs
- 1 tsp smoked chipotle minced (canned, with sauce)
- 3 TBL chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 4 OOg cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato pasata sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 1-pound block of extra-firm tofu drained and patted dry
- 1 19-ounce can of aduki beans drained
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro can subsitute 2 frozen toppits cubes
- One 35-ounce can of Italian peeled tomatoes in juice
Instructions
- In a large deep pan over moderate heat, heat 1/8 cup of oil. Stir in the onions, red pepper and celery. Cook until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Clear the middle and add the garlic with a 1/8 cup more oil. Cook one minute until fragrant and stir into the rest of the vegetables. Add the chili powder and the cumin, stirring occasionally, for another minute.
- Add the tomatoes with juice, the passata tomato sauce and chipotle. Stir in the oregano, 2 tsp salt and corn. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10-12 min.
- Meanwhile cut tofu into 1/2-inch dice and pat dry. Add the tofu and mix in. Stir the black beans and corm into the chili and simmer, stirring frequently, until the flavours are blended, about 10 min. Before serving, stir in 1/2 cilantro if desired; sprinkle rest on top.
- Serve with garlic bread/toast.
