Karen's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

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

Instructions:

Sauté first five ingredients in oil until limp. Add tofu and sauté 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 tablespoon of cayenne pepper can make this gradually more spicy. As the recipe reads, it is fairly tame. NOTE: The ground chilies are NOT chili powder. Most chili powder is made up of a combination of chilies, oregano, cumin, salt and garlic. If chili powder is all you can find, then you will have to readjust the cumin and oregano amounts.

Submitted by: Doug from Illinois