Valentine's Day Dinner

Looking for a simple meal to make at home for your Valentine's Day? Here are a few new recipes I tried out for this year that are absolutley delicious!

First course is a Split Pea Pumpkin Soup with a Tomato Pumpkin Bisque Heart! I love this Split Pea Pumpkin soup but wanted to try the Tomato Pumpkin Bisque so I could add the heart shaped soup to make this dish look extra Valentiney (we've all used that word).  

All the recipes are at the bottom of the post.

I definitely wanted to have some sort of greens but wasn't sure how to give them that V-Day flare until a friend gave me an idea to add chocolate! yes... chocolate. So these balsamic green beans have a chocolate oil sauce drizzled on top.  Can't imagine ever eating chocolate on green beans? Then just leave the chocolate oil off and they are still a yummy dish!

My entree was Garlic & Herb Roasted Chicken. Nothing fancy here but the rest of the meal was so I figured a simple but delicious chicken would be the dish to pull it all together.

and it's Valentine's Day so there must be a dessert!  Gluten Free chocolate cupcakes with a pink strawberry butter cream frosting and a vegan chocolate truffle on top. These are decadent and a perfect end to a delicious meal! 

Are you looking for fun alternatives to the Valentines Day norm? Then after dinner check out Sexy Hair Online's blog post for some fun Valentine's Day ideas by clicking here.

Recipes

Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

A bunch each of fresh oregano, thyme and rosemary
two heads of garlic but in half
one whole fryer chicken cleaned and giblets removed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
wash and dry chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper inside cavity and on skin
Stuff the cavity of the chicken with herbs and garlic
Place chicken, breast side up, in roasted pan and bake uncovered in oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through.


Split Pea Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yellow split peas

1 lg. onion chopped

2 3/4 quarts chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ginger

2 cans pumpkin puree

 

Directions:

Put 1st three ingredients in a pot. Heat to boil then lower and simmer uncovered for 40 min.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered an additional 30 minutes or until the peas are soft.

Tomato Pumpkin Bisque

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion chopped

5 large tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

1 can pumpkin puree

1 small can tomato paste

2 tbs. agave nectar

1 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

saute onions for 5 minutes in a pot. Add tomato and chicken broth, bring to boil and then reduce to simmer and cover. Let simmer until tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.

Puree tomatoes in soup with an immersion blender.

Once both soups are done pour a serving of the split pea soup into a bowl and spoon the tomatoes bisque soup on top in the shape of a heart.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Chocolate Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans trimmed

a handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1/2 tablespoon of dairy free dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Place green beans in a microwave safe dish with 1 oz water and cover with saran wrap. Place in microwave and cook on high for 4 minutes.

Drain water from green beans and set aside.

Place chocolate in a microwave safe dish.  melt the chocolate in the microwave for 10 seconds and then in 5 second increments. If you have never done this before check out the tutorial by clicking here.

Once the chocolate is melted, add the canola oil and mix well. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan on med. high heat.

add tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes

add green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes

add balsamic vinegar, toss, remove from heat and set aside.

Drizzle a little bit of the chocolate oil over the green beans and serve.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch (be sure it's starch, not flour)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum     (flour mix from glutenfreegoddess)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup gluten free cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter (or 1/2 cup vegetable oil for dairy-free)
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon GF vanilla

4 eggs
2/3 cup vanilla yogurt (use plain coconut milk yogurt  for dairy-free)

1 cup milk (or vanilla coconut milk for dairy-free)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans, this makes 1 - 2 dozen cupcakes depending on how full you make them.

Sift together

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch (be sure it's starch, not flour)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum     (flour mix fromglutenfreegoddess)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder

In separate bowl cream together
1/2 cup butter (or veg. oil)
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add 4 eggs
Add 2/3 cup yogurt
Mix in dry ingredients

Add about 3/4 cup - 1 cup of milk (to cupcake batter consistency)

Fill cupcake liners in pan about 1/2 to 3/4 full (these cupcakes puff up big)

Bake at 350 for about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool. 

For Dairy-Free Frosting

2 pounds powdered sugar

2 cups vegetable shortening

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 - 3 tablespoons strawberry juice

Directions: Cream together all ingredients in mixer, slowly add juice until desired consistency.

I topped my cupcakes with a vegan truffle using the recipe I found here. Vegan Truffle Recipe.  I rolled mine in hemp seed before placing on top of the cupcakes.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Valentine's Day!