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Spicy Vegan Tofu Chili
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Vegan Chili

You definitely won't miss the meat in this spicy vegan chili with cashew sour cream! It's super easy to make and packed with protein!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 3 people
Calories 427kcal
Author Sina

Ingredients

For the vegan tofu chili:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 block firm tofu (7 oz), crumbled
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup dry red wine
  • 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (canned)
  • 1 cup kidney beans
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into medium pieces
  • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

For the vegan cashew sour cream:

  • 1 cup cashews, soaked for 30 minutes
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  • Either use a fork to mash the tofu or use your hands until it's all crumbled in small chunks. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and cook the tofu for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Then deglaze it with red wine and allow the sauce to thicken for about 2 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes, the red bell pepper, the corn, the beans, and the spices and cook for about 10 minutes.
  • In the meantime, make the sour cream: Drain the cashews and put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve the tofu chili with nachos and top it off with some of the cashew sour cream and avocado.

Notes

  • The crumbled firm tofu works as a meat-free replacer of ground meat in this recipe. It's perfectly seasoned and the tomato paste, the onions, the garlic, and the red wine give it a deep flavor. And the best thing is that it's super healthy and packed with protein at the same time.
  • The combination of black beans and kidney beans makes this vegan chili really healthy and it adds a lot of protein.
  • It's great to make ahead and it's perfect for a larger crowd. So just double the recipe, make a larger batch, and bring it to a party!
  • You can adjust the spiciness to your personal liking. Just use a larger amount of red pepper flakes if you're into spicy food. Or even add some hot sauce. If you're cooking for kids or people who don't like spicy food, just go easy on the red pepper flakes or leave them out completely.
  • It's really important that you cook the tofu long enough, so it loses its wobbly consistency. I usually cook it for about 5 minutes before I add the onions and the garlic and cook it for another 4 minutes.
  • For the vegan sour cream with cashews, you should definitely have a high speed blender. Otherwise the sour cream just won't get as creamy. But don't worry, the vegan chili is still amazing even without it!

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 973mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 28.2mg | Calcium: 256mg | Iron: 6.8mg