Cooking Adventures - Tofu and Black Bean Chili

I slept in very late this morning and when I finally crawled out of bed, I looked out the window and saw snow covering the trees and grass. It's been quite cold, about 20 degrees, and snow has been falling lightly for most of the day. Feeling especially lazy and not really wanting to go out in the cold, I didn't do the grocery shopping that I was supposed to do today. But I still needed to eat tonight. I looked in my fridge and found some tofu and I knew that I had plenty of canned beans and tomatoes. So, because the weather was so cold and snowy today, I decided to try my hand at making Tofu and Black Bean Chili. I've never made chili like this before, but I thought, how hard can it be?

I pressed the tofu for about an hour to get out the water and moisture so that the tofu could then soak up all of the yummy flavors. I started the dish by sauteing some chopped onions. I usually also add some chopped carrots, because it gives the chili some texture and added vitamins, but because I didn't have any carrots in the fridge, I had to go without them. So I added the tofu (cubed) and browned them a bit. Then I added the spices, from your basic chili spice packet, but knowing that tofu can sometimes be kind of bland, I added more chili powder and crushed red pepper flakes to give it some more heat. Then I added diced tomatoes (undrained) and black beans (drained and rinsed). I also added some water because I like my chili saucy. Then I brought it to a boil, then lowered the heat, and let it simmer for about an hour. Once it was ready, I dished it up into a bowl, and topped it with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. The verdict? It was yummy!

The final product

Update: It is now Monday evening and I'm finishing the last of this chili. A benefit to making a huge batch is that I can stretch it for several days. So, in addition to being yummy, it's also quite economical, too. I estimated that once you add up all of the ingredients, the total meal comes to about $6 or $7. And that covers dinner for three days! For a whopping total of a little over $2 a day! I rock!