Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

1/3 cup oil
3 med. onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 lbs. tofu chunks
2 T. each ground red chilis, cumin, oregano
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
2 c. water
2 28 oz. cans tomatoes
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cans. kidney beans

Saute first five ingredients in oil until limp. Add tofu and saute until browned. Mix the spices together in a bowl and sprinkle into the pot. Mix thoroughly. Add water, tomatoes and tomato paste.

Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If desired, at this point, add the kidney beans.

Taste and correct seasoning. The addition of 1 tsp. to 1 T. of cayenne pepper can make this gradually more spicy. As the recipe reads, it's fairly tame.

NOTE: The ground chilis are NOT chili powder. Most chili powder is made up of a combination of chilis, oregano, cumin, salt and garlic. If chili powder is all you can find, then you will have to readjust the cumin and oregano amounts.