Tagine of chickpeas and tofu

When I was living in DC, I had an evening of there's nothing in the cabinets that I want to eat. Of course, there was food; I kept a well stocked spice rack and had a few disaster supplies on hand. So I improvised. What I got was a dish I would work and re-work over a couple of years until I came up with the following.

These measurements are for 3-4 diners, simply scale up as necessary. And if you really can't stand tofu, well, I encourage you to try it anyway, or just leave it out.

• one medium-size yellow onion, chopped
• an 12oz can of whole tomatoes
• an 12oz can of chickpeas
• about 1/4lb of fried tofu (aburage)
• 3 Tbs cinnamon
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 1 Tbs ground red chili
• 2 tsp dry oregano
• 1 clove of garlic
• olive oil
• sea salt or lemon juice, to taste

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Cut tofu into one inch by half inch pieces. Sauté onion in olive oil. When onions are translucent, crush and add the garlic clove, and sprinkle cinnamon, cumin, chili, and oregano. Sauté for a minute or two. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, and tofu. Simmer over medium heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over couscous or brown rice. I prefer to mix couscous with some buckwheat kasha, then throw toasted slivered almonds over the top, but I've been known to sometimes overdo things.