Family Dinner Fridays

This one's from our new contributor Paulina!

Tofu Cincinnati Chili
I am constantly looking for new ways to sneak tofu into a meal. Last night I experimented with a few other recipes I have acquired, and viola! I made what I believe to be the best chili ever, hands down. Round of applause please. If your family squishes up their noses when they hear 'tofu', try my trick: don't tell them. They'll never know. What's the trick to making the tofu have a 'ground beef' like consistency? Freezing it!
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. Olive oil
5 Cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1/2 of a medium-sized onion, minced
1 Red bell pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Tsp. paprika
1/2 Tsp. ground cumin
1 Tsp. chili powder (round up to more if you want more 'chili' taste)
1/8 Tsp. cayenne pepper ***optional*** this is where you have complete control over how spicy you want your chili
1 Package of Tofu- Frozen and then completely thawed before cooking
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cube of unsweetened baking chocolate (not too much, literally two pinches to have that famous sweet/spicy duo)
1/2 Cup vegtable stock
1 Can chili beans
1 Can red kidney beans
2 Ears of fresh corn
***Absolutely mandatory to the recipe: Micheal Jackson's "Rock With You" while using the spoon as a microphone: I can't guarantee your chili will be mind blowing (like mine) if you don't do this***
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1. Saute garlic onions on med/low heat until onions are transparent

2. Add bell pepper and spices, stir.
3. Now for the tofu: Once the block is defrosted, I like to cut the tofu in three pieces (the size or cut does not matter at all, I just feel it helps me get all the water out). Freezing tofu makes for a completely un-tofu-like texture. It is like a sponge, and soaks up just about everything. Since you want to tofu to hold all your yummy spices, hold the tofu over the sink and squeeze (like a sponge) out all the water it has retained. Once you've done this to all the tofu, just crumble it up with your fingers and put it right into the pot. Any big pieces left you can continue breaking down with a spatula right in the pan.
4. Add apple cider vinegar, chocolate and vegetable stock. Let it simmer for a couple minutes until about half of the liquid evaporates. Here is where it starts looking brown and crumbly like ground beef. Sneaky-sneaky.




5. Add your beans, lower the temperature to a simmer, and let the chili "do it's thing" in the pan for about 45 minutes. If too dry: sprinkle with veggie stock.
6. Meanwhile cook your corn, then cut length-wise (think hard of when you had braces back in middle school and you had to cut the corn to prevent billy/susie from not wanting to kiss you)
7. Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with corn. Honestly though, you can sprinkle with anything (sour cream, cilantro, chips, love)
8. Eat. Enjoy. (While watching the Bachelorette and loving Jillian).


Recipe by Paulina Underwood, Husband stationed in Charleston, SC