I’ve been trying to eat more healthful foods for years, mainly by consuming less meat and adding more fruits and veggies. When I began the quest to eat less animal flesh (It sounds nasty when put that way, doesn’t it?), I gave up red meat. Okay, not entirely; I cheat now and then when a steak beckons to me. But I cut back significantly on the red stuff and began eating more chicken, turkey, and fish. Although I occasionally get tired of poultry and seafood, they are my primary substitutes for roast beef, hamburgers, and pork, especially pork chops (smothered in onions and gravy with brown rice and green peas on the side). Mmm, mmm, good.
While doing my best to adhere to my decision to stick with plant-based staples, I discovered and cooked some delicious vegetarian and vegan meals. Last week I prepared a small broccoli, cauliflower, and cheese casserole from a recipe I found online. Loved it! Since my significant other declares he will be a carnivore until his dying day, he didn’t even taste my delicious B&C casserole, but I didn’t mind—more for me. I finished the whole thing in a few days and enjoyed every morsel.
Still savoring the broccoli casserole success, I decided to try my hands at another vegetarian meal – homemade chili. Some folks consider chili ideal for cold winter days. I love good, homemade chili anytime, any season. For years, I made chili using ground beef. About a decade ago, I began substituting ground turkey. When I made chili a couple of days ago, I switched to tofu.
A few folks who I know have told me, while frowning and scrunching up their face, that they don’t like tofu. Some admit they’ve never tried it, but they know they don’t like it. A couple of weeks ago, my daughter-in-law (a recently converted vegetarian) and I were discussing plant-based foods. She expressed her distaste for tofu, saying it is too soft and watery to use for almost any meal she prepares.
Although I experimented with tofu long ago and also found it tasteless, mushy, and nearly intolerable, I decided to give the bean curd another try. Back on the Internet, I went for another recipe. The half-dozen cookbooks I brought at various times over the years are collecting dust in my bookcase. I tried some recipes from those books but only found a few that I liked. Even Patty LaBelle’s cookbooks didn’t hold many recipes that appealed to me. (No offense, Patty. I’ve loved you for decades, ever since I first heard you and The Pips sing “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Woo Woo.) Let me get back on track. (Pun intended.)
So, I made the tofu chili, which was absolutely, positively delicious. Anyone who has eaten tofu knows that plain tofu doesn’t have much taste. However, it absorbs the flavors of seasonings, marinades, and nearly anything it is cooked in, including tomato sauce used in making chili. I am not exaggerating when I say that I couldn’t taste any difference between the tofu chili from the turkey chili. There was only one little problem: I added too much ground cayenne pepper, or maybe it was the chili powder. I’m one of those cooks who seldom bother to measure most of the contents in a recipe. Instead, I’ll estimate a half-teaspoon of this or a tablespoon of that, and into the mixture, it goes. The ingredients in my tofu chili, in addition to the tofu (extra firm) and a variety of spices, included diced green bell pepper, onions, sliced mushrooms, tomato sauce, and kidney beans.
As I said, my chili would have been perfect, except that I added too much cayenne pepper or chili powder. One, or the combination of those two ingredients, set my mouth on fire. I mean, the burn was on. I had tears running down my face and steam coming out of my ears, but by guzzling lots of water, I put out the fire. Aside from that, my chili was delicious. I must tell my daughter-in-law.