Paneer Tikka Masala

By: Om Mehta

We offer readers a popular and tasty Indian dish.  This special family recipe comes to you courtesy of my mother, Shital Mehta. 

Make 4 Servings

Preparation time: 30 min

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion 

• 1 clove garlic { optional}

• 6 roma tomatoes

• 8 cashews

• 1 tablespoon of butter or 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 1 half teaspoon of cumin seeds

• 1-2 green chilies

• 8 oz of paneer

• Any kinds of spices {Optional}

Cooking Directions

1. Take two tablespoons of oil and a half teaspoon of cumin seeds and let it crackle - saute it a little and add chopped onions. Saute until onions are translucent 

2. Add tomatoes to the onions and let the tomatoes cook for five to ten minutes

3. Add eight to ten cashews and let it cook for five minutes

4. When cooked, turn the stove off and let everything cool off.

5. Transfer the gravy ingredients into a blender and blend them  into a paste

6. In a deep pan add two tablespoons of butter.  Once butter sizzles add the tomato puree.  Cover and cook for five to ten minutes. 

7. Once oil releases stir and add half cup of milk. Cook five to ten minutes.

8. Add one teaspoon of salt and sugar and cook five minutes.

9. Add cut pieces of paneer ( a type of Indian cottage cheese, or Queso fresco),  and cook for 

three minutes .

10. Serve with roti or naan

11. Eat it all up!  Enjoy.

Steak Sandwich 

from All Star Baseball Cookbook  

By Lorenzo Lucas

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cook time : 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 - medium onion, sliced

1 - roasted red pepper

2  - tablespoons olive oil, divided

2  - 6-ounce - strip steaks

Dash - salt and pepper

Ingredients - creamy peppercorn sauce

3 tablespoons - mayonnaise

3 tablespoons - sour cream

1 teaspoon - Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon - worcester sauce

½ teaspoon - salt

Cooking Directions

In a skillet, place 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat to medium. Add sliced onion and red pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onions soften and turn slightly brown, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, on a clean cutting board, season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.

In another skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium - high heat.

Carefully place steaks in the pan.

Cook for about 6 - 7 minutes, turn them over with tongs and cook for another 6 - 7 minutes.

Remove the steaks, place on a plate, and loosey put foil over them. Allow them to sit for 10 minutes.

While the steaks rest, prepare rolls by slicing half across clockwise, and make the peppercorn sauce. When the steaks are finished resting, slice thinly.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread 2 tablespoons of the peppercorn sauce on the bottom half of each ciabatta roll. Next, add about ¼ of the steak, followed by ¼ of the onion and pepper mix. Top the second half of the roll. Serve immediately.

Cooking Directions - Creamy Peppercorn sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Apple Crumb Pie

(from Raddish Kids Cooking)

By: Emily Clark

Ingredients:

Crust:(or you can substitute for pre-made grocery store pie crusts)

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp kosher salt

½ cup cold unsalted butter

¾ Tbsp cold water

Filling:

2 lbs apples such as Gala, Macintosh, Red Delicious or Granny Smith

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp corn starch

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp kosher salt

Crumb Topping:

½ cup butter

1 ¼ cups flour

⅓ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup sugar

Directions:

1. First you make the crust. Stir the flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. 

2. Lay out a cutting board and cut the butter into cubed-size pieces.Then add it to the flour. 

3. Rub the butter between your fingers and cover it into the flour, making it into small flakes. 

4. Add the cold water and mix it with a fork. Make sure there is enough water so the dough makes lumps in your hand. 

5. Make the dough into a ball and wrap with Seran wrap. Press it to make a disc shape and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

6. Now you make the filling. Cut or peel the apples, cut the pieces away from the core, and cut into ¼ inch pieces. 

7. Add apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Then set aside. 

8. Now you make the crumb topping. Heat a stick of butter in a bowl and put it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.

9. After that add the flour, brown sugar, and sugar to the butter. Now stir with a fork gently to make crumbs. 

10. Now preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a cutting board or cooking mat sprinkled with flour, roll the dough into a 12 inch disc. 

11. Press the dough into the pie pan, trim extra crust and crimp the edges. 

12. Now add the apple mixture to the pie pan evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping over it. 

13. Bake an hour and check after 40 minute if the top is golden brown. Now you’re ready to eat. Yum! 

 (You can skip steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, if you are using a pre-made crust)

Christmas Dinner Treats

by Joseph Douglass

Merry Christmas! ‘Tis the season to cook some new recipes for the holidays! From pumpkin spice creamer to a nutella Christmas tree, here at Lion’s Roar, we’re covering all of your holiday cooking needs.

As you sip your drink, you reach down to your plate to dip… Nothing? Every good Christmas dinner needs a good biscuit for everyone to enjoy, even the grain-free, nut-free, and dairy free communities! When you cook a batch of grain free coconut biscuits, you are cooking biscuits for everyone- no one deserves to not be able to dip a delicious biscuit into their drink, be it coffee, or cider. When executing the 33 minute process of cooking these, make sure you do not add the stevia, cinnamon, or chocolate chips, as they will simply be scones, and scones, as delicious as they are, can not replace the delicious taste of a buttered roll.  You will, before cooking them, want to flatten them into biscuit-shaped rolls before, but make sure they are relatively flat, to ensure they cook all the way through.

Coconut Biscuits (adapted from Grain free Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned coconut cream, unsweetened* (not cream of coconut, which has sugar)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond-coconut milk** (OR carton coconut or rice milk if you have almond allergies)

• 2 Tablespoons canned pumpkin puree

• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend

• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon liquid vanilla stevia*** (start with less than add more to taste)

Instructions

• Whisk together all the ingredients (or process in a mini blender briefly) until well blended and smooth.

• Store in a jar or bottle in the fridge. You'll need to shake or stir the creamer each time you use it since the spices will settle.

• Add 2-3 Tablespoons for each cup of hot or cold coffee. 

• Enjoy!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how delicious are thy branches? As it turns out, your Christmas tree can be very delicious if you bake this nutella tree to go along with your real tree this year. Like most Christmas trees, it will only take 1 hour to decorate, or in this case, to bake. If you are looking for a new chocolatey pastry this season, make it festive with this simple puff pastry and nutella recipe, but be aware, parent supervision is recommended due to the fact that you will be shaping the puff pastry solely with a knife and will be using raw egg in this recipe.

Nutella Pastry Christmas Tree

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Roll out one puff pastry sheet into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface and place on the prepared baking sheet.

3. Lightly score puff pastry into the shape of a Christmas tree (triangle) with a wide base. Spread chocolate-hazelnut spread over the triangle in a thin layer with the back of a spoon.

4. Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry to a large rectangle and place on top of the first one. Carefully trace the shape of the chocolate covered triangle underneath and cut out the Christmas tree shape and the trunk. Pull away excess pastry.

5. Lightly score 2 lines down the middle of the triangle to form a tree trunk that is narrower at the top and gets wider towards the base. Using the trunk as a guide, cut branches into the sides of the triangle.

6. Twist the branches away from you, trying to get in 2 turns on the lower branches. Continue moving up the tree, twisting away from you as you go.

7. Cut a small star out of the excess pastry; place on top of the tree. Brush the star and tree with beaten egg.

8. Bake in the preheated oven until puffy and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Slide onto a serving plate, using a piece of parchment paper if needed.

9.  ENJOY

Cook's Note:  You can also use coconut oil to grease baking sheet instead of butter.