<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

===================

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN CHILI

I can't wait to share this with you - it was splendiferous!  And I made it
up from all the cooking I have done and all the other chili I have
made...it uses cubed frozen tofu, so run out and buy some (preferably
organic) and toss in the freezer for 24 hours (to get it good and frozen).
It changes texture from custard-like to chewy and color from white-ish to
beige or tan...interesting.  It soaks up all the flavors and colors in the
pot and ends up reminiscent of tiny chunks of tender meat (only without the
meat!).

I recommmend you start this in the morning right after breakfast or just
after lunch so that you have the time to finish it.  Alternatively, if you
work, do the initial prep (cutting & chopping & measuring) the night before
and soak the beans overnight, then assemble as soon as you walk in the
door!  YUM!

Put on some music and an apron, get whatever you like to drink, grab the
cutting board and think happy thoughts!  Before you know it, you will be
enjoying homemade chili....

[Note: I find it best to have everything set up like you are on a cooking
show (LOL!) - I chop the onions, while they are cooking (I put them on low
and I enjoy the smell of the beginning of food being cooked!), THEN chop
the garlic and carrots and measure all the spices into a small bowl
together, THEN with the heat turned up, add the garlic just until it starts
to smell yummy, THEN all the dry spices (same thing about the scent!),
followed by the carrots almost immediately - stir for a minute or so, then
add the liquid for the beans.]

Set out 2 packaged of tofu (an kind from soft to firm) that have been
frozen for at least a day.  Let them thaw right in the package or pop them
out and put them in a bowl of water.  Also, set out the frozen spinach if
you are using it (see below).

1/4 cup of good oil (preferably organic, cold-pressed, olive or safflower)
1 large or several small onions, chopped fine or large, saute' them until
  very done or less done - depending on your preference :-)
1 whole head of garlic, peeled and chopped and cooked until slightly done
  (don't burn them!)
10 organic carrots, peeled and chopped into tiny chunks (I peel them, then
  cut them into "carrot sticks", then chop from there into pieces about
  the size of peas.

Spices:

3 tablespoons good chili powder (as hot as you all like it)
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
3 tablespoons basil
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano

[Note: If you like carrots al dente (slightly crunchy, but cooked), save
them for after the beans are cooked.]

1-1 1/2 cups of dried beans (depends on how much you like beans - LOL!)
4-6 cups of water to cover the beans (don't use too much, add later as much
as you need if you like your chili thick or thin)

Bring all the seasonings, beans, and *some* water to a hard boil and set
the timer for TWO MINUTES.  Turn OFF the burner, put on a lid and leave it
for one hour.

[Note: this step substitutes for the soaking beans over night method.  This
way they only have to cook for 45-60 minutes to be "done".]

Now, that you are relaxed because you have read a book and gardened for a
bit, you are ready for the final phase.  :-)

Turn on the pot to simmer and add:

1 small can tomato paste (preferably all organic!)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 GIANT can whole tomatoes (I like the whole ones because you can see what
  the tomato might have looked like!  I snip them over the pot with kitchen
  shears)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons molasses

Rinse all the cans with water and add the water (this way you won't leave
any tomato stuff behind!)...measure the sugar and molasses right onto the
wooden spoon you are stirring the chili with (easier and no waste!).

Now take the tofu from the freezer (or from the counter if you remembered
to set it out to thaw) and cube it.  Dump it in the chili pot and add the
carrots now if they aren't already in...

2 blocks of previously frozen tofu
1 tablespoon GF liquid smoke (optional - once in a while it just tastes good!)
2 tablespoons liquid aminos (or GF soy sauce)

Lastly, add a CUP of Nutritional Yeast (Red Star is gluten-free) - it's the
cheesey-tasting powdery stuff you get at a health food store - it
supposedly has vitamin B12 in it...it blends right in and disappears and
makes a wonderful thicker broth.

Sometimes, I chop kale or frozen organic spinach to add in.  To chop the
fresh kale, rip it from the stalk, fill the sink with water and agitate the
leaves like you are washing clothes in a stream (LOL!), let the water out
and gather the leaves up...roll them as tightly as you can like a big ole
kale cigar (sorry) and cut teeny-tiny strips off the end without letting
the fat bundle in your hand unroll until it's shorter and shorter and all
cut.  Scoop it up and add it to the simmering chili.  With frozen spinach,
I buy the WHOLE leaf kind so that there aren't those hard hunks of stem in
it and I thaw it slightly on the counter just until I can push a big knife
through it, then I chop it finely and add it.

Simmer while you get everything ready and it will be done when the beans
are to your liking.  I like then beans somewhat crispy (that's not the
right word...kind of like not mushy, but not raw...) and that takes about
an hour.

Serve with bread, fresh fruit salad, and grated vegan "cheese".

(Oh, and hot sauce on the side!)

Enjoy!

And please let me know if you have questions!  :-)

Love, Linda