vegetarian chili

This is a hearty, satisfying version of chili without meat, and it is good made a day ahead.  If you freeze the tofu for a few hours, and then thaw it, it gives it a rather meaty texture; it crumbles nicely and it seems to absorb more of the cooking liquid.  If you want to omit this step you can.  We often serve this with assorted garnishes--chopped scallions, lowfat sour cream or a little grated sharp cheddar, and slices of jalapeno peppers, and of course, corn bread.

Note:  If you want to use dried beans, soak 1 pound of kidney beans covered with water overnight.  Pour off the soaking water and add enough water to cover by about 1-inch.  Bring the beans and water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer beans, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes.  Then proceed with the recipe below.  Cooking dried beans like this gives the chili a better texture and taste, but using the canned beans is quick and easy and pretty good.

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large stalk celery, diced
1 medium red or green bell pepper, diced
1 pound firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and crumbled or 1 package tempeh, crumbled
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon good quality chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly toasted and ground cumin seed
2 19-ounce cans dark red kidney beans
28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram, crumbled
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Few dashes Angostura bitters
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion for a minute.  Add the celery and bell pepper and sauté 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the tofu or tempeh and stir for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and stir for a few minutes.  Add the beans, tomatoes, molasses, oregano, salt, and bitters, stir well and cook over medium heat, just simmering for 15 minutes.

Taste for seasoning, add more chili powder or salt, if necessary.  Add the parsley, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes more.  Serve hot with optional garnishes, if desired.

skillet cornbread with cheddar, corn, and chiles

This savory cornbread is rich and cake-like and full of flavor.  Taste your sage to see how strong it is; if you use a strong-flavored one like Berggarten, you should only use about 3 tablespoons.  Oregano and marjoram are also very tasty used in place of the sage.  This is a great accompaniment to baked beans and coleslaw.

Serves 8

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
About 4 tablespoons finely shredded fresh sage leaves or 1 1/2 tablespoons crumbled dried sage leaves
1 cup whole milk or 2% fat milk
2 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable or corn oil
2 tablespoons honey or sorghum
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped green onions or other onion
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 or 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced fine
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 º F.  Rub a 10-inch iron skillet with oil.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and blend well.

Combine the milk, eggs, oil, and honey in another bowl, and whisk them for 1 minute.  Stir the sage, garlic, onions, chiles, and corn into the liquid ingredients.
   
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the cheese and stir until just mixed.  Pour the batter into the oiled skillet and place in a preheated oven.  Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the corn bread cool in the skillet for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.