Slow Cooked Vegetarian Chili and Herb-Cheese Pop Overs

We said an official bye to gloomy weather and chilly winds this weekend. Well, this was my last chance and a very good reason to make vegetarian chili and to go with it, my favorite cheese and herb pop overs. The weather system here is so erratic and canny; You have the heater running until last night and this afternoon you got to switch on the AC to overcome the dry heat! With out wasting much time, here is the recipe:-

Sending this recipe to MLLA-23 hosted by my lovely friend Susan.

Adapted from Rachel Ray.

Vegetarian Chili:-

Ingredients:-
1.5 cups of 3 bean mix (I used kidney beans, black beans and small red beans)
2 cups of water
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 fresh tomato pureed with 1 large pod of garlic (or 2 normal sized pods)
1 medium sized red onion chopped finely
2 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of roasted cumin powder
1 tsp of oregano and rosemary (dried and crushed)
2 tbl spns of lime juice (thanks to PJ for the idea)
1/4 cup of soya nuggets/vadi (optional)(thanks to PJ for the idea)
coriander leaves to garnish.
pinch of sugar
4 tsp of oil
salt to taste

Method:-
Wash and soak the beans overnight and pressure cook them for a whistle until soft (they should  not get mashy)
Cook the soya vadi is boiling water. Strain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the chopped onion and  all the spices until the onion gets transparent.
Add the diced tomato and tomato-garlic puree.
Cook well for 10 mins with the herbs and spices.
Add this to the slow cooker with 2 cups of water, soya nuggets and beans.
Add salt to taste
Cook slow for 6-7 hours at low heat.
Serve hot with baked croutons, grated cheese and coriander leaves.
Best served with pop overs of your choice.

Tip: The deep red color is imparted by the black bean pigments. Do add them for a traditional chili look. You may also add 1 finely chopped jalapeno or 1/4th of green bell pepper chopped (if jalapeno is too hot for you) for additional taste. Bake small pieces of bread at 425 F for 10 mins or until crispy to go with the chilli. The beans imbibe the flavors of the spices so well when slow cooked.

Herb and Cheese Pop Overs:-

Adapted from Paula Deen's show

Ingredients:-
2 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of water
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper powder
mix of dried herbs to garnish (your choice- I had rosemary,sage,thyme,oregano and basil in mine)
1/4 cup of grated cheese
Butter to grease

Method:-
Preheat to 350 F
Grease a muffin pan.
Whisk the eggs, milk,water and salt together untill frothy.
Add the pepper powder and the flour little by little until mixed well.
Add the cheese and mix well. If the batter is lumpy, do not worry. It is ok.
Fill 3/4 of the muffin tins and ganish with mixed herbs on top.

For Soft bun like feel (ideal to have with Tea):-
Bake for 30-35 mins (approx., depends from oven to oven). They should have be golden browned on top. Insert a toothpick and bake until it comes out clean.

For Crispy bun like feel (ideal for Chili):-
Bake for 40-45 mins until they turn light brown. be careful not to burn them. Test with 2-3 pop overs first to decide on the baking time as it changes from oven to oven. Insert a toothpick and bake until it comes out clean.