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.

Palak (Spinach) Fried Rice

Palak rice is easy to make and tastes good even for those who are fussy to eat spinach, especially kids. In a short amout of time a tasty and healthy dish is ready. I cooked it one evening recently when I had only 10 - 15 min of time to cook simple meal, then had to rush out and return an hour later to eat dinner. I just did the prep, transferred to rice cooker for cooking (many thanks to those who invented these kitchen applicances with timers etc).  By that time I returned, warm spinach rice was ready to serve with Raita!!!

Main Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice
3 cups fresh chopped Spinach
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 green chilli or to taste (or substitute with chilli powder)
2 tsp lemon juice - optional
3 & 2/3 cups water (little less than double the rice quantity) or
                               per the requirement for the rice variety being used.
(substitute 1 cup water with fat free milk)

Spices:
2 tsp oil
1.5 tsp coriander and cumin powder
1.5 tsp garam masala

 Or if you have all of the following ingredients available use them to substitute garam masala.

1. 2 sticks cunnamon
2. 2 cardamom
3. 5-6 cloves
4. 2 anise seed
5. 1/2 spoon shahjeera

Method:

Wash rice and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. If using raw spices, add all those spices 1 thru 5 to the oil, fry for just a few seconds until you smell aroma. Add onions and fry 3 min or so in medium heat until transparent (if using garam masala powder, start off with frying onions).

Add ginger garlic paste and fry until golden brown. Add rice, chopped spinach and coriander jeerra powder to the onion mixute in the pan. Fry all ingredientts while mixing carefully for 3-5 min. Transfer these contents to rice cooker, add salt, lemon juice and water and cook until done.

Fluff the rice and serve hot.

This rice is tasty and nutritious by itself and good even without any side dish or a curry. But goes well with ginger chutney (or any other pickle/chutney),  cucumber raita, papad or even an omlette!!

Palak Tomato (with Blackeye peas)

This is an easy to make dish. Blackeye peas are optional in this dish. Some potatoes can be used instead. This dish goes well with both Rice and Roti.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 lb washed and chopped spinach (palak)
4 medium tomatos chopped
1 cup blackeye peas cooked - optional
4-6 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped Cilantro
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste


For garnish:
1 tsp olive or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad daal
1 tsp cumin seeds or powder


Method:

Heat oil in saucepan. Add mustard, and urad daal. After it starts spluttring, add garlic, fry for few seconds and then add onion. Fry until transparent and add cut tomatoes. Cook for 5 min, then add chopped spinach (and cooked blackeye peas if using), salt and chilli powder mix well, cover the pot and cook for about 10 min. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Variation for Pasta:
If cooked without mustard, cumin, urad and with less chilli powder and substituting half of the cut tomatoes with pureed tomato, this dish goes well wih Pasta!!

Carrot Smoothie

This drink is filling, healthy and makes a great breakfast drink. Not every ones like it. But you never know until you try.

Ingredients:

2 Medium sized carrots
2 cups milk
2 tsp Cashew pieces or Almonds or Pistachios (soaked in warm milk for few hours)
1 1/2 tsp (sugar or to taste)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder or vanilla essence
A few strands of saffron - optional

Method:

Steam cook carrot pieces for 5 - 7 min.
Blend cooked carrots and cashews into a smooth paste. If needed use some milk to blend. Boil milk along with saffron in a saucepan. Then add the above carrot paste, cardamom powder and sugar to milk and cook for 5 min while stirring.

Chill and serve. Makes 3 cups. Can be refrigerated for two days.

Sprouted Chana Daal (Bengal Gram)

Just like sprouted moong daal dish, I make this dish more for breakfast or as an evening snack. It takes a little longer than moong daal to sprout. 

Ingredients:
1 cup whole Chana Daal
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp split black gram
2-3 dried red chillies split into halves (per taste)
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut or dry coconut powder
A sprig of curry leaves (preferable) OR 2 tsp chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 tsp oil (vegetable or olive oil)
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice or to taste - optional (I prefer with it)

To make Sprouted Gram:


Soak 1 cup Chana (Belgal gram) overnight (about 10-12 hours). Then drain and tie them up in a cloth or just keep them in a covered container (this works just fine for me) for one full day for them to sprout.

Cook sprouted Chana (Either in a pan or pressure cooker) for 10 min with 1/4 cup water.

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds .
When they start spluttering add the split gram and red chillies.
Once they start browning, add the coconut and saute for a minute (no need to brown it) or if using dry coconut powder toss it along with sprouts.
Add the sprouts, lemon juice and toss with salt until properly mixed or for a minute. Switch off the stove.
Serve warm.

Sprouted Moong Daal (Green gram)

It is a very healthy dish. Also, the recipe is simple, takes very less cooking time and ingredients.
I make this dish more for breakfast or as an evening snack rather than as a festival or occasional dish. It works great, needs just some planning and no time to prepare. It takes full 36 hours to sprout this daal properly. So if I need the dish on Monday morning, I soak them on Sat.

To make Sprouted Beans:

Soak Moong daal (green gram) overnight (about 10-12 hours). Then drain and  tie them up in a cloth or  keep them in a covered container (I do it this way and it works well) for 12-14 hrs for them to sprout.

Ingredients:

2 cups Sprouted Moong Daal
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp split black gram
2-3 dried red chillies split into halves (per taste)
2-3 tbsp fresh grated coconut - optional
2 tsp chopped Cilantro (coriander leaves) - optional
1 tsp oil (olive oil to make it healthier)
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice or to your taste - (this is optional but I prefer with it)


Method:

Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds .
When they start spluttering add the split gram and red chillies.
Once they start browning, add the coconut and saute for a minute (no need to brown or over do it).
Switch off the stove, add the sprouts and toss with salt and lemon juice until properly mixed.

Optional - Steam the sprouts for couple of minutes before tossing them with the garnish.

Variations:

My household is not a huge fan of coconut so I make this dish without coconut, a variation from the traditional method.

A variation which I love and make most often is with carrots when I have them in my fridge. I use 1/4th cup grated carrots to the above recipe, toss in grated carrots and sprouts together; it tastes yummy and needless to say healthier as well.

As another variation, I tried adding tiny celery pieces (1/4th cup Celery to 2 cups sprouts); it was delicious too (to my taste buds since I love celery) and I received good comments from family!!

I sometimes sprinkle chopped onions and / or tamoatos, it also tastes good to me but I don't prefer it. The idea is to eat healthy sprouts and not make the dish and process complicated.