September 08, 2006

CHUNKY VEGETABLE CHILI WITH JALAPENO CORN BREAD

Here comes a quick delicious light lunch for a lazy saturday when you don't feel like cooking a elaborate meal but have to eat!! or come home after a exhausting or exhilarating (or both! ) shopping spree and realize that you have a empty fridge staring at you with no leftovers to gobble up !!

Well!! I am here to help you create a simple,hearty but quick soup and a quicker baked Jalepeno corn bread to help you mop up the soup at the bottom of the bowl unless you prefer to lick it off clean! :D

Now I better hurry and type all up with my one magic index finger and start my busy weekend!! No such thing as weekend break or relaxation for us mothers and homemakers, is there? We get busier on weekends! Bummer!! And people say we are "JUST" housewives!! OH YEAH ??!! WANNA SWITCH PLACES FOR A WEEK ?? :) ( I am adding: for all mothers out there who also work outside the home, I salute you!! You are all SUPER DUPER WOMEN!!!)

Let's get cooking:

YOU NEED:
2 tsp Butter
1 cup Onion, chopped
1 Garlic
1 celery , chopped (optional)
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies, carrots,green peppers, corn,any combo you like
1 Can(regular size)beans,any kind you like:kidney beans,cannellini, northern white
1 can(14ozs) of vegetable broth or stock or more
1 Can (14ozs) Tomato sauce: regular or diced stewed tomatoes
Salt, Pepper,
1-2 tsp Cumin powder, or any spices you like
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
Cilantro for garnish(optional)
Some Cheddar cheese to sprinkle, if you like
Jalapeno slices to garnish, if you like

HOW TO:
1. Heat butter, saute` onion , garlic and celery , and then add frozen veggies. Stir for 5 mins until they soften a little.
2. Add vegetable stock and tomato sauce, heat. Add all the beans and spices ,simmer.
3. Meanwhile, prepare corn bread batter and bake it until the soup is done.
4. When the soup is ready , serve in a bowl garnished with cheese etc,.and don't forget a big piece yummy jalapeno corn bread!!

Delectable Southern Jalapeno Corn Bread:


YOU NEED: (Makes 8-10 big pieces)
1 Cup yellow unseasoned Corn Meal
1 Cup Plain Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp baking Powder
2 egg, beaten
1 1/4 Cup milk
2 tbsp melted butter or oil
4-6 tbsp chopped vinegary jalapenos and some red chilli flakes
1 tsp Cumin pd
chopped cilantro
1 tsp garlic and
1 tsp onion pd or 1-2 tbsp dry onion flakes
some sesame seeds
any spices you like

8" square baking pan or muffin pan

HOW TO MAKE IT:
1. Heat your oven first to 425F . Sift all the dry ingredients and mix egg,milk and butter or oil in a seperate bowl.
2. Now add in the dry mix and all the spices to egg mix , beat gently to mix thoroughly until you don't see anymore lumps like cake batter.
3. Pour this into a greased, lined with parchment paper 8" square pan or muffin pan.
4. Bake for 15-20 mins or until the middle is cooked,rest for 2 mins (not you! or may be you too :D), invert on a cooling rack to cool. Place on a sheet pan and cut into squares or triangles.
5. Store covered.Warm in the microwave when needed. They freeze very well if there are any leftovers!!
6. Spread some butter on a piece of warm corn bread and take a bite. Mmmmm!!!

NOTE:Even if the cornbread doesn't come out perfectly rised, it is still delicious to eat! Perfection comes from practice, I don't bake often but this recipe is real easy.You can add any spices you like to suit your taste.

ENJOY!! See y'all next week !!

26 comments:

Deepa Culinary World said...

Hi Asha,

Chunky vegetable chili with jalapeno corn bread looks very good.

I will definitely give a try.For sunday breakfast.thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

Lovely post. Sometime I too feel like sitting and eating food cooked by someone else. In India, we used to make sure to eat outside atleast twice or thrice a week. Here everything tastes the same in restaurants :(.

Love your recipes. will try them soon. We loooove soups :).

Prema Sundar said...

Wow.. Jalapeno corn bread looks delicious..
Yes it is tue Asha ..no relaxation or weekend break for mothers.Infact we get busier at weekends.
The only relaxation is I get up late on weekends...

Meena Kandlakuti said...

Hi Asha,

your explanation is too good.Feel like having dish now itself.

FH said...

Hi Deepa, welcome to my blog! Glad you are making them,enjoy!! What a cute kid you have!! :)

Oh, how I wish I had a cook!We eat out every sat, same old bland food but I WILL NOT COOK on Sats..Cardinal rules..
Ejoy your kidless days Shilpa! once you have them, you will be begging for time and sanity, never mind food!! :D

You know it, Prema! I am a early riser, so no late sleep in any day for me either!! GOD HELP ME!! :)
Thanks..

Too bad we don't have grab-able PCs ,you could have taken some corn bread with butter!!
Thanks Meena!

lost in thoughts said...

"...rest for 2 mins (not you! or may be you too :D)..."

haha you are funny :). The cornbread sounds yummy.

Anonymous said...

Hah Asha, i bet noone would wanna switch places with us isin't? rightly said weekend break? ho i for minute i forgot the meaning of that ha ha...Nice recipe asha..thanks for sharing..

FH said...

Spice Hut, (Elvis style): Thank you..Thank you very much...:)
Yes!! corn bread is yummy to eat specially when it is just out of the oven!


What did you say, SudhaV? Weekend??!! Hah!! What's that??
Just kidding!! Thank you ....:D

Anonymous said...

The corn bread sounds really good. One question....can corn meal be substituted with corn flour???

FH said...

I don't think so,Jaya! Plain flour and corn flour probably makes it very dense.Corn meal is coarse like rava. You could try making it with 2 flours by cutting the recipe by half to see how it turns out! I never tried it,you never know,it might work like baking cake !Give it a try ,thanks!!

Revathi said...

I have been wanting to do cornbread for a lonnggg time.. Will ahve to try ur recipe :)

Anonymous said...

i so understand u on saturday mornings..women have no breaks, just chores put off. a really yummy combination. what kind of corn meal did u use.. fine or coarse?

Anonymous said...

thanks a lot for a yummy recipe

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,
Both soup and break looks yummy!!!!Thanks

FH said...

Revathi, MT, and Anonymous ..Thanks , hope you will try the corn bread sometime, easy and yummy!! :)

Thanks Shaheen! You know it girl, about the non-stop work!!
I use coarse yellow corn meal which is like semolina or rava consistancy for color and texture.It is crumbly when you break a piece! Hope you will try :)

FH said...

You are welcome, Monisha!! Corn bread is wonderful with any soup,indeed! Thanks for coming by :)

Priya Bhaskaran said...

Asha....just got up and saw your blog--- the soup and the corn bread is tempting:) Must try!!! Perfect for Fall weather-- its already started getting cold in the evening here:D

Prema Sundar said...

Hi Asha,
I have tagged u for meme. check out my blog.

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
They look delicious together. I don't bake at all. Jalapeno corn bread sounds yummy. I should give it a try once. Thanks for the recipes.

FH said...

Thanks Priya B, getting cooler here too but not cold!! Tired of 98F for 3 months ,fall is welcome :)

Thanks Prema for tagging!! Take a look !!

They do go very well, I am not a baker either, but corn bread is easy peasy !! Thanks Madhu!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

Your soup and bread looks yum yum. The bread looks store bought and just the right texture. Will surely give this a shot sometime.

FH said...

Thanks Hema! I take 'store bought'
as a compliment!! :D

Bread didn't rise well as much as I hoped, next time may be I will use little more baking pd.Hope you will try it!!

Anonymous said...

I meant bakery-bought! and that is a complement for sure. I always thought the best breads are made in stores...oops bakeries, well not anymore. :D

FH said...

Don't worry abt it, Hema! I knew what you meant to say !

Bakeries make excellent bread especially in India, I can never match that!! Iyengar bakeries in B'lore, Mmmm....ofcourse they don't make jalapeno corn bread or do they??!! :D :D
Thanks!!

Manju said...

Darn!! i should have!! From now on, you are my go-to person for any new recipes that i want :)I like the cheese sprinkle idea (from your recipe)!!

FH said...

HeHe! SC, I had forgotten I had here which was posted in 2006! As soon as I read your first para, I remembered and stared searching here! :D

Corn bread and chili is a classic combo. Try the corn bread next time, enjoy! :)