One of the most caring things we can do for our loved ones is to cook them delicious, healthy things to eat. So why not celebrate this Valentine’s Day by making a commitment to using more nutritious foods like vegetables and whole grains, and nuts in your meals? Here are two recipes that fit the bill, both of which are garnished with hearts in honor of Feb. 14.
4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
1 ripe avocado, sliced
the leaves from ½ bunch fresh cilantro, washed and dried
Lime-Pickled Red Onions (recipe below)
Heart-Shaped Tortilla Chips (recipe below)
1 fresh lime, cut into eighths
Lime and Chile Salad Dressing (recipe below)
Divide the eggs, avocados, cilantro leaves, and onions, between two large plates. Drizzle a few spoonfuls (more or less as desired) of the Lime and Chili Salad Dressing over each plate. Divide the chips and lime wedges between the two plates. Serve immediately. Makes 2 generous salads.
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
the juice from one medium lime
Toss the onion rings with the lime juice in a small bowl. Allow the rings to macerate for at least ½ hour. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container.
4 corn tortillas
oil, such as grapeseed, suitable for frying (if desired)
salt (if desired)
a small heart-shaped cookie cutter
Stack the tortillas. Use the cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as possible, pushing through all four tortillas at once.
If you would like to fry the chips, place a pot on a burner and pour about an inch of oil into it; heat over medium-high until you can see ripples in the oil. If you would like to bake the chips, turn the oven to 375 degrees.
If frying, when the oil ripples, add a heart to the pot to see if the oil is hot enough. If the oil sends up small bubbles and the heart begins to turn golden, add more hearts to the pot. Flip the hearts after a minute or so to cook on both sides. When golden, lift the hearts from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Continue cooking hearts until they are all done. Salt lightly, if desired.
If baking, spread the hearts on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake until golden, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and lightly salt if desired.
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
1-2 tablespoons rice wine or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili garlic paste or srirarcha sauce (more or less as desired)
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup olive oil (or suitable oil of your choice)
Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, chili paste, garlic and salt. Drizzle in the oil, whisking well as you do. When all the oil has been added, taste the dressing and adjust the flavor with more lime or vinegar if desired.
2 or 3 small-medium beets
oil or bacon fat for coating the beets
1 small head lettuce such as Boston or romaine, separated into leaves, washed and dried
1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted in a small skillet
1 cup Greek yogurt
the juice and grated rind from one small orange (keep them separate; reserve the juice for the Orange Salad Dressing)
Parmesan Crisps (recipe below)
Orange Salad Dressing (recipe below)
a small heart-shaped cookie cutter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the beets, but don’t peel them. Place the beets on a baking tray or in a cast iron skillet. Coat them lightly with oil or bacon fat, then sprinkle with salt. Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven and bake for about an hour, or until the beets are tender when poked with a knife. Set them aside until they are cool enough to slip their skins off.
When the beets are cool, slice them into circles about ¼-inch thick. Cut out as many heart shapes as possible from the beet slices. Chop the remaining beet scraps into small pieces and place in a small bowl. Toss the scraps with a little of the Orange Salad Dressing and set aside.
Combine the yogurt with the orange rind and set aside.
If the lettuce leaves are large, tear them into pieces. Put the leaves into a bowl, and toss them with a few tablespoons of the Orange Salad Dressing.
Set out 4 large salad plates. Divide the yogurt mixture between them, making a mound on the center of each plate. Spoon the beet scraps on to the yogurt. Scatter the toasted walnuts around the edges of the plate. Mound the lettuce on top of the beets and yogurt.
Divide the beet hearts between the plates, reserving 4 of them. Place a Parmesan Crisp on top of the lettuce on each plate, then top each crisp with one of the reserved beet hearts.
Serve immediately, passing the remaining Orange Salad Dressing. Makes 4 servings.
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (set aside from the recipe above)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sherry wine or cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil (or other oil, as desired)
1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil (optional – use an equal amount of olive oil if not using)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the juice, mustard, vinegar, garlic and a big pinch of salt in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly as you do so. Finally, whisk in the walnut oil, if using. Grind some black pepper into the dressing, if desired. Makes about ¾ cup dressing. Refrigerate whatever you do not use in a glass jar, where it will keep for at least a week.
½ – ¾ cup freshly grated good quality parmesan cheese (you may use other cheeses, such as cheddar, so long as they are fairly dry to begin with)
parchment paper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet tray with the parchment paper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly into 6-8 circles. Don’t mound the cheese or pack it thickly, but leave the circles flat and lacy.
Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crisps are slightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before using. They are fairly fragile, so treat them gently.