Recipe Friday: 3 Bean Chili

You may not know this, but Tuesday is a very special holiday.  Tuesday is October First and it is the OFFICIAL start of the Halloween season.  On October first you may begin putting up your Halloween decorations and wearing your Halloween clothes (if you have decorations up, you need to get them down ASAP and if you don't have a Halloween outfit you need to really get on that this weekend.)  This is the legacy my mother has left me.  We used to be the only Halloween crazies when I grew up, but now everyone is catching on to the fact that Halloween is The Best.  If there's one dish that says Halloween to me, it's chili.  This is because my mom always made chili when we went trick or treating.  My grandparents would come over.  My grandpa and my step-dad would sit in the driveway and pass out candy to the 100+ kids that came over.  My mom and my grandma would be inside doing "mom stuff" and we would go trick or treating.  When we came home we would always have a warm bowl of chili waiting for us.  So, in continuing with the tradition, every October first I make chili.  Now that I don't eat meat it's become a little more of a challenge, but I found this recipe from Dr. Sears and it's pretty good!  It's not mom's but some traditions can use a little tweaking.

Three Bean Chili

1 TBSP oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
16 oz firm tofu, diced
15 oz can of kidney beans, drained
15 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained
15 oz can of pinto beans, drained
1/4 tsp each turmeric, coriander, and cardamom
1 TBSP chili powder
1 scant TBSP sea salt (use kosher)
1 tsp cumin
20 oz tomato sauce (I just use 2 8 oz cans)
1 TBSP molasses
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne (I omit this if the kids are eating it too)

Saute onions and garlic in oil.  Add tofu and saute until golden (pressing it for a long time works well here).  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer 2 hours.  Top with shredded cheese, diced green onions, corn chips, sour cream, jalapeños or other hot peppers.  My mom always served chili with just crushed saltines, if you're a purist.  Happy October First!  (I'd better not hear about anyone making this before the first!!)