Recipes: Easter Egg Anise Cookies, Chipotle-Sauced Salmon with Tomato-Avocado Salad
It doesn’t “feel” like the beginning of Easter weekend. Gee, could it be because there is still the odd Christmas decoration hanging around? The broken ankle has precluded any trips to the attic to retrieve my Easter décor and I genuinely miss it all. I have also not been able to do much in the way of baking. Good Friday has always been my day to make hot cross buns and orange-cardamom bunny rolls. Not to mention the various cookies. This year, Mom is going to do all of the baking and I truly miss doing it.
My friend Jenni recently sent me a recipe for Anise Cookies that are shaped like Easter eggs. It looked relatively easy, not a lot of prep work, and I just had to have the fragrance of anise in the house on Good Friday.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, although I have been eating anise cookies since I could eat solid food, these may be one of my favorites. They are light in texture with a pleasant buttery taste and a punch of anise as well. I found that, to make an egg shape, you really have to form an exaggerated egg shape before baking because the dough puffs quite a bit.
The cookies on the first tray had a decidedly round shape, while the above, when baked, actually resembled eggs.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Easter Egg Anise Cookies
Recipe By : P. Manilla
Servings: 68
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter -- melted, cooled
2 teaspoons anise extract
2 teaspoons anise seeds -- crushed
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon butter -- softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fat-free half and half
2 cups powdered sugar -- this is an approximate measure
Preheat oven to 350F
Beat eggs with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Add sugar, beat for one minute. Add butter, beat for an additional minute.
Mix baking powder and flour in a bowl. Add to egg mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Add enough flour to keep dough from sticking (too much) to your hands.
Dust hands with flour and form 1 tablespoon of dough into an egg shape. Repeat with the rest of dough.
Bake each baking sheet for approximately 8-9 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden brown on the bottom and the top feels firm.
Cool.
Beat butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Beat in vanilla and fat-free half and half. Add enough powdered sugar to make a spreadable frosting.
Frost cookies. Decorate as desired.
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Per serving: 78 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat (2g saturated); (36% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 19mg Cholesterol; 65mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates
Dinner. I have to clear out the refrigerator a bit since we are going to be visiting my parents for a few days over the Easter holiday. There was a very ripe avocado, a half of a small onion and on the counter, 2 very ripe tomatoes. There was one piece of wild salmon left in the freezer which didn’t have to be used, but we have had chicken or ground turkey for the past few nights and I was craving fish.
Although there is both a red and an orange bell pepper to be used also, I shall take these to Mom’s and we will find some way to use them up.
I have to branch out in my avocado thinking. All I can come up with, when faced with needing to use one, is something Mexican inspired. I also had a half of a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes in the refrigerator, so I decided to make a tomato sauce, spiced up with chipotles, for on the salmon, and then make a tomato and avocado salad to serve with it as well. Rice will be the starch, and as I have mentioned before, I prefer the converted rice for Mexican/ Southwestern style dishes, rather than the basmati which I use for most other dishes.
This turned out to be great. The salmon, rubbed with a little of the salad dressing prior to broiling, was moist and flavorful. The chipotle sauce was spicy, and the tomato and avocado salad provided a cooling note.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Chipotle-Sauced Salmon with
Tomato-Avocado Salad
Recipe By: Vicci
Servings: 2
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------- ---------- ----------------------------------------
14 ounces canned tomatoes -- whole, in juice
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
2 small garlic cloves -- minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano -- Mexican oregano preferred
1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce -- minced
3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons lime juice -- divided
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 small avocado -- chopped
1 small tomato -- chopped
2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
12 ounces salmon fillet -- (2 pieces)
1 1/2 cups hot cooked rice
Remove tomatoes from can and place in blender or food processor. Reserve juice for another use. Puree tomatoes. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of onions and cook, stirring, until soft (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and oregano and cook for another minute. Add tomatoes, chipotle, brown sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Prepare rice.
In a small bowl mix together the lime juice, brown sugar, chili powder, and a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside.
Preheat the broiler. Place salmon fillets on the broiler pan and dribble with 1 teaspoon of the lime juice mixture. Rub into the fish. Place under the broiler and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until flesh is opaque.
While the fish cooks, add the avocado, tomato, and onion to the lime juice mixture and mix gently.
Divide rice between 2 plates. Top with a fish filet, spoon tomato chipotle sauce over, then arrange the tomato and avocado salad around all. Serve.
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Per serving: 641 Calories (kcal); 25g Total Fat (3g saturated); (33% calories from fat); 43g Protein; 65g Carbohydrate; 88mg Cholesterol; 458mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 10 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates
Happy Easter to all.
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