Celebrating 5th year blog-o-anniversary with Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins | Easy Vegetarian Bean Chilli Recipe | giveaway(s)

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Just pinch me Will ya? I can't believe its been 5 years since I started this little blog of mine. 5? Are you kidding me? that is like half-a-decade!. Every single moment, every single recipe and every single thought I put in here is so worthwhile and so exhilarating & relaxing at the same time. How can such feelings co-exist? Well, I am still figuring that out. :-)

Right now as I look back, its not the numbers that matter to me but the evolution and the experience itself. I got to know an amazing bunch of people through blogging. They inspire me. teach me and be there during my happy times and also at the times of despair. Some live in various parts of the world, many whom I never met but they are just a phone call or an email away!. Wow, can such virtual relationships sustain over time? Apparently yes. I am eternally grateful to God for sending them to me. You know who you are and Thank you for your love and  for just being a part of my life.

Scroll down for a chance to win a pair of those beautiful blue handmade clay mugs

A birthday is never complete without a cake. Isn't it? But, for today I made few quick Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins served with Vegetarian Chilli. It is a combination I very much miss since we moved back to India, so I thought what better occasion do I need to feature these two recipes on the blog. As a way to say Thank you for your affection and support over all these years, I planned a few exciting giveaways for you all. Enjoy!

I used bottled jalapenos for the recipe.

mint and coriander

{Recipe} Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins

Adapted from Escapades

Makes 4 muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup tightly packed herbs - mint & coriander/cilantro
2 tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)

Preparation:

Step 1: Pulse cornmeal until smooth texture. In a mixing bowl, add cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix.

Step 2: Add herbs and jalapenos to it. 

Step 3: In an another bowl, beat together - egg, olive oil and milk.

Step 4: Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and gently mix everything.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F. Grease ramekins with olive oil and pour 3/4ths with batter. Top with some chopped jalapenos if desired. Bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick or skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean. Rest for 10 mins. 

Step 6: Run a knife around the edges and carefully unmold. Serve as a side accompaniment with soups, stew or chilli (recipe below). Wrap the rest of the muffins in a plastic cling to prevent from drying out. Microwave for few seconds and they are as good as fresh. 

I won this set of ramekins as a giveaway from Divya's blog. :-)

{Recipe} Easy Vegetarian Bean Chilli 

Ingredients:

3 cups boiled beans - I used chickpeas, black eyed peas, pinto beans and soya beans.
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups water
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
grated cheese, for topping

Preparation:

1. In a big pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic for few minutes. Add carrot and peppers. Cook until soft.

2. Stir tomatoes and beans. On a low heat, cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, chilli and cumin powder and pepper. Add water and continue cooking by stirring once or twice in the middle for 30-40 minutes.

3. Top with grated cheese and Serve hot with cornbread. Save left overs in refrigerator or freeze.

Sending this Vegetarian Bean Chilli as entry to My Legume Love Affair # 50, hosted by Susan this month.

Now for the fun part. To celebrate the blog-o-anniversary, I have some goodies for you all. Just like before, there are two giveaways. One for Indian readers and other for rest of the world.

For Indian readers - A chance to win a pair of "Mended" Stoneware Mugs, hand crafted by Rekha Goyal, a Mumbai-based sculptor. I purchased them a week ago on Shopo and loved them very much. The mugs are microwave proof, oven proof and are beautiful as food props. Along with these, there is also a Rs 1,000 Flipkart gift voucher up for grabs. One winner will be randomly chosen for both the giveaways.

For readers from outside India - You guys have an opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Yay!

Here is what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. As simple as that. It is important to mention your country - so that you are entered for the respective drawing.

To increase your chances in the random drawing, do one or more of the following and leave a comment once you did so. 

2. Follow Cooking With Siri on Facebook and/or Follow me on Twitter. - @sirime

3. Subscribe to Cooking With Siri feed.

4. Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the below text -
5th blog-o-anniversary celebrations. Comment and win cool #giveaways on @sirime's blog. http://www.tinyurl.com/cwsanniversarygiveaway

If you are already liked me on facebook, following on twitter or subscribed to RSS feed, just leave a comment letting me know and you are entered in the giveaway automatically! These giveaways are open for everybody, You don't have to be a blogger to win them.

Last date for participation is August 31st 2012 midnight IST and two winners randomly picked will be announced on September 1st 2012. . 

Enter and Win. All the very best. 

Cheers to many more such happy times,

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