Corn Muffins with jalapeño and cheddar cheese and Vegetarian Chili

We had a very hearty chili and corn muffin for our lunch. It was easy to put together and it tasted great. Here is the recipe..

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk (I used low fat milk)
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 jalapeño pepper finely chopped (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/8 cup oil

Method:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl beat the egg well with milk and oil.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir till they are all well combined.
3. Finely chop the jalapeño pepper and add it to the corn bread mixture. Stir in the cheddar cheese.
4. Grease your muffin tins. Pour the batter so the tins are half full. Bake in a 400F oven for 20-25 minutes. Ovens vary in heat so check it after 18 minutes.

Serve it hot with chili.

Ingredients for Chili:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 3 bell peppers (any color is fine), chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups pinto beans boiled
- 2 fresh corn boiled and kernels removed

Method:
1. In a croak pot add oil and the onions. Sauté till the onions become transparent.
2. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño and sauté for a few minutes.
3. Now add the tomato and let it boil till they become tender. Add all the spices (cumin powder, chili powder, pepper powder, oregano, salt) and beans. Pour 3 to 4 cups of water and reduce the heat to simmer.
4. After it has cooked for at least 45 minutes add the fresh corn. Now allow it to boil for another 20-30 minutes. The more it simmers the better it tastes. So if you start it in the morning reduce the heat and let it simmer the whole morning.

Serve it with some fresh cheddar cheese and tortilla chips on the side. You can dip the corn muffin and eat the soup with it. It is definitely a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Vegi quesadilla

This recipe is an inspiration from showmethecurry. I have tried making quesadilla but it never turned out right. I realized today that I was under cooking my tortilla's. When you are cooking your tortilla make sure both sides are well done. The tortilla should have dark spots in it. Also you need eat this hot otherwise they tend to become soggy. This is a fun recipe for kids too...

Ingredients for stuffing:
- 1 small onion
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 small tomato
- 1-2 green chili
- 1 pack of frozen spinach - Defrost it and squeeze the water out
- 1 tsp oil

Ingredients for quesadilla
- few tortillas - I used the store bought once
- 1 cup of shredded cheese - Cheddar or monterey jack cheese

Method to make the stuffing:

1. Finely chop all the vegetables.
2. In a pan add oil and once the oil is heated add the onions. Fry for a minute then add chillies and salt. After about 30 seconds add the tomatoes, and peppers. Cook them till they are soft.
3. Finally add the spinach and cook till all the water evaporates. The stuffing needs to be a little dry otherwise the quesadilla becomes soggy.

Method to make the tortilla:

1. In a skillet/tawa pour a few drops of oil. Add the tortilla and cook till they become golden brown on one side. Flip it over and add the cheese and the stuffing. Do not over stuff it.
2. Add the second tortilla and carefully flip it over. Let it cook untill the other side becomes golden brown. Remove it once the cheese has completely melted.

Serve it hot with black bean soup or salsa

Black Bean soup

Ingredients:
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 jalapeno pepper broken into half
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 avocado chopped
- few tortilla chips for garnish (optional)
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:

1. In a slow cooker/crock pot add the dried beans, salt and add water. Make sure the water is at least 2-3 inches above the beans. If you are not there to attend make sure you pour more water. So for two cups you will roughly need at least 5 cups of water. Let it cook for 5-6 hours in high.
2. In a pan pour oil and fry the jalapeno, onions till they become tender. Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cumin powder and dried oregano and chili powder and salt. Mix it well and add to the slow cooker. Turn it down to low and let it boil for at least an hour. If you don't have an hour before serving turn it to high and cook it for half hour. The more it boils the better it tastes.
3. Just before serving garnish with avocado and the chips.

This soups is very tasty with the crunchy chips and buttery avocado and beans.

Mexican Tomato Rice

 

Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked long grain rice
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 jalapeno pepper broken into half
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 cup boiled or canned beans (I used black beans)
- 1/4 cup green peas
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:

1. In a skillet pour oil and add the jalapeno and onions. Fry them in medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft. Now add tomato sauce, cumin powder and salt. After a minute add the green peas.
3. Reduce the heat and mix in the rice. Once the rice is coated well with the masala add the black beans. Toss it lightly with the beans and remove it to a serving bowl.

Garnish it with cilantro and serve it as a side for buirto.

Salsa

 

Ingredients
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper broken into half
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method:

In a food processor add the onions, tomatoes and jalapeno (I did not remove the seeds as I wanted it to be spicy) and blend it. Use a food processor as blender will crush it too much. Add the lemon juice, roasted cumin powder, salt and cilatro. Pulse for a minute and serve it cold.