Tofu Chili with Butternut Squash

     I should rename my blog The Lazy Cook.  My drive to cook has really fallen lately and I have had little motivation to make anything.  I don't think I made dinner once last week.  Arnauld was working late and I had something to do almost every day after school.  The fact that it is pitch dark at 5:30 doesn't help either.  I have the winter blues already and it's only November!  When searching for something to make for lunch this week, I based my search on ingredients that I had on hand, including a butternut squash.  My other keyword was...crock pot!  I just wanted to throw something in the pot and walk away from the kitchen as fast as I could.  As I threw one ingredient after another in and then lined the top with tofu, I reminded myself that I would actually have to eat this concoction...yikes!

Tofu Chili with Butternut Squash

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 package of mushrooms, watched and sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp Cayenne pepper
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cumin
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into slices
2 tbsp cornmeal
shredded cheddar cheese

Method
1. Toss the mushrooms, squash, onion, celery, tomatoes, chickpeas, cayenne pepper, chili paste, chili powder, honey, and cumin into the crock pot.  Stir everything together and press the veggies into an even later with the back of a wooden spoon.
2. Place the tofu slices on top of the vegetables, being careful that none of the pieces touch the sides of the crock pot.
3. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 5 hours.  About 20 minutes before the end of the cook time, stir in the cornmeal to thicken the chili.
4. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese.

The Taste Test
      The crock pot is amazing.  It transformed my random mix of ingredients into a tasty and satisfying lunch.  You would never be able to identify just what is in this lovely chili dish, but the only thing that really matters is that it tastes pretty good.