Cheese Cake Cups

I happened to taste this delicious dessert at a holiday gathering. These individually baked cheese cake cups topped with cherry or kiwi is a wonderful dessert to make for kids' parties too. I have yet to try this recipe...

Ingredients:
2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla or lemon zest
2 Eggs
Vanilla Wafers to fit cups
Toppings: Any of these optional toppings to your taste
1 can cherry pie filling
Chocolate chips
Blue berries, Strawberries or Kiwi
Whip cream - if using this, add after baking

Method:
Add one beaten egg + sugar mixure at a time to cream cheese and belnd with blender. Adding all eggs at a time to the cream cheese will not blend the mixure properly. Place vanilla wafers in baking paper cups and pour the mixture into cups. Add your toppings and bake at 350* C for 15 min.

Mango Rice (Mango Pulihora)

It is that time of the year, yes season for Mangoes! Time to dig out those mango recipes to spice up pallete.
Mango pulihora is popular in Andhra especially during Ugadi when you get raw mangoes.
(For the most part, this recipe is same as lemon rice except that lemon juice is replaced with grated mango.)

Ingredients:

1 cup - rice, Basmati or long grain
2/3 cup grated green mango
2 Green Chilies - cut the length wise.
3 Red chilies
1 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
1/4 tbsp Turmeric Powder1 ½ spoon salt (or to taste).

For Seasoning

1/2 tbsp Mustard
1 tbsp Chana Daal
1 tbsp urad daal
2 tbsp groundnutsa pinch of asafetida
Few curry leaves
1 to 2 tbsp oil

Method:

Cook the rice the way that the grains are separable from each other and allow it to cool in a wide bowl or a basin.
Add salt to the grated mango.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, chana daal, urad daal, groundnuts, red chilies and fry just a little, then add green chilies and ginger and fry till daal and nuts become golden brown, now add curry leaves and asafetida fry few more seconds and remove from heat. (Basically fry all the ingredients so that they give out nice aroma and not over fried).

Pour this seasoning mixture over rice, and then add turmeric, grated mango & salt mixture.
Mix well with a wide flat spoon (or hand) until it is evenly mixed and serve.

Cucumber Raita

Raita is North Indian word for yogurt dish. In south it is known with different names depending on the state and the area.

Ingredients:

2 cups yogurt
2 tbsp fat free sour cream
1 medium cucumber peeled and chopped (about 1.5 cup)
1 cup cut tomatos
1 tbsp finely cut coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1 green chilli chopped - optional
1/2 tsp chaat masala - optional

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and serve fresh. Optionally, chill the dish for couple of hours before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated to use the following day.