Want to tempt your sweety with delicious diet-conscious sweets? How about a romantic dinner that won't break your bank or your daily calorie count.
Then try this yummy Valentine's Day feast, all for approximately 1250 calories, including appetizer, entree, dessert, a glass of wine with meal, and a glass of bubbly with dessert (leave off the booze, and you can get the entire meal closer to 1000 calories).
So how do we pull off this Valentine's Day miracle, you ask. First, you'll need to find yourself a Valentine (sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere for prayers to Saint Valentine or the appropriate pagan ritual to summon Cupid and convince him to point his arrow in the direction of your heart's desire).
Once you've found your sweetie, try out these easy, health-and-diet-conscious recipes, most of which can be made with common ingredients usually found in your fridge and pantry.
Roasted Cauliflower and Sunchoke Soup (courtesy of batterlicker.com)
I make up a big batch of this and keep some stored away in the freezer for special meals or the occasional surprise unexpected dinner guest.
- 5 cups of cauliflower (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
- 3 cups of sunchokes, aka Jerusalem artichokes (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups of water
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 1/2 cups of Lynda's Creamer Substitute
- 1 tsp of Lynda's Everyday Spice
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- juice of 1 lemon
In a pot over medium-high, heat the remaining cup of lemon-water. Add onions, and saute until tender, about 6 minutes.
Add stock, almond milk, creamer mix, spice mix, thyme, cayenne, and roasted garlic cloves, and bring to boil. Add roasted cauliflower and sunchokes and return to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Puree using immersion blender or food processor, or allow mixture to cool 10-15 minutes and puree in a blender. Pour 1 cup into shallow bowl and garnish with a Valentine Day theme heart shaped from roasted asparagus.
Spinach, Onion, and Mushroom Frittata
Nutrition Facts (click for cals, carbs, fats...)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cups chopped mushrooms
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg whites
- 12 cup fat free Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 tsp Lynda's Spice Mix
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash pepper
- 1/3 tsp nutmeg
- 2/3 grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Lightly caramelize onions in olive oil. Add mushrooms and lightly saute (try not to overcook mushrooms as they will continue cooking when fritatta is baked). Rinse and dry spinach and add to pot for a quick wilt. Line a colander with paper towel and drain the oil and liquids from the wilted spinach mixture.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, eggs, Ricotta cheese, and Almond Milk. Add spice mix, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and white cheddar cheese. Spray a 9" inch pie dish with olive oil spray and spoon in the spinach mixture, spreading it out evenly.Pour the egg mixture over the spinach mixture and make sure it seeps all the way to bottom of pan. Bake for about 30 minutes (or until eggs are set in center) in a 350 degree preheated oven. Let frittata cool and cut into heart shapes with cookie cutter or sharp knife to celebrate the occasion.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Asparagus
Nutrition Facts (click for cals, carbs, fats...)
Ingredients:
- 4 slices Prosciutto
- 20 stalks of roasted asparagus
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
Cut off about 1/3 of asparagus end to get rid of hard stringy section. Lightly coat asparagus with olive oil and line onto roasting pan. Cook in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes (or until asparagus starts to turn slightly lighter). Let cool.
Cut the Proscuitto pieces in half and thinly wrap around the stalk of 8 pieces of roasted asparagus. Use 4 pieces to garnish soup (2 pieces per serving), and arrange the other pieces on the plates surround the frittata, lining wrapped asparagus between unwrapped asparagus.
(also use same vegetable roasting technique to roast baby carrots and mini-red/yellow/orange bell peppers to include on plate and in salad)
Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Rosette
Nutrition Facts (click for cals, carbs, fats...)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of chopped romaine lettuces
- 2 ounces of crumbled sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup of roasted baby carrots
- 4 tbls Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1 1/2 ounce Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Wipe oil off of individual pieces of sun-dried tomatoes and line along bottom of small cup or small plastic container (you can use measuring cup for 1/2 cup size). Overlap the pieces, circling inward like the petals of a flower. Chill in refrigerator to let the flower set.
Please note: the rosette is primarily for decoration and not to be consumed in its entirety, try to limit consumption to 3 or 4 individual petals per serving to remain within the caloric calculations.
Wine-Poached Pears
Nutrition Facts (click for cals, carbs, fats...)
Ingredients:
- 1 Bosc Pear
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 tbls granulated Splenda
- dash of nutmeg
- small chunk of ginger root
Peel a bosc pear and cut in half. Using a melon baller, scoop out seeds, making a little bowl.
Bring wine, juice, water, splenda, nutmeg, and ginger to a boil. Ladel in the pear halves and turn down the temperature. Poach the pears, spooning poaching liquid on all sides of the pear. Turn the pears over half-way through.
Once poached (about 15 to 20 minutes), take the pears and ginger out of poaching liquid and reduce until poaching liquid thickens into a sauce. Arrange the pears into a heart shape on dessert tray and spoon sauce into hollowed out area of pears.
Chocolate/Carob dipped Strawberries
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup unsweetened carob chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 squares Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate bakaing bar
- 1/3 cup creamer substitute (or almond milk)
- 12 medium strawberries
Poached Meringue Hearts
Ingredients:
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup granulated splenda
- poaching liquid (2 cups almond milk or skim milk sweetened with 2 packets of splenda)
