A Valentine Meal from Deborah

Happy Valentines Day!

But on a healthier note, did you know that drinking tea may lower blood pressure? Source.

AND.. on an even healthier note, check out a Valentine soup and a vegetable dish that will let the Valentine in your life know just how much you love him/her.

Valentine recipes from Deborah

Deborah Chud is a writer for Huffington Post and has a delightful site called Trufflehead. She has offered a Valentine’s Day menu which could easily be prepared in advance. Her menu isn’t geared towards the master chef’s of the world, just folks such as you and I who want to make Valentine’s Day special by plating a healthy meal to please the ones we love.

See Deborah’s menu here. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand and based my meal on her suggested recipes. Even with my lack of ingredients and extreme tweaking, the results were perfect for our special meal.

Double Celery Soup TWEAKED TO … Celery Carrot Soup

Serves 6

2 TBS Olive oil
1 bunch celery, chopped with leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. carrots, sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. salt – or to taste
fresh ground pepper

Place a large soup pot over medium heat and heat the olive oil. Add the celery, onion, carrots and cook for 15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue cooking for 30 minutes, until all vegetables are very soft.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree or use an immersion blender to desired consistency. Transfer back to the soup pot and reheat. Serve immediately.

See Deborah’s original recipe here.

Chard with Raisins TWEAKED TO…Collards with Raisins and Beets

*Using fresh beets would make this dish superb. Unfortunately, it was a last minute decision and we used canned whole beats but the result was amazing! We love beets, any way we can get them.

Serves 4-6

1 large bunch of collards- wash well.
1 TBS olive oil
1 can whole beets, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup raisins
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Separate the collards leaves from the thick stems. Discard the stems and chop the leaves to bite size pieces.

Cover the collards with water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until tender, about 20 – 25 minutes. Drain then pat dry.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and, when hot, add the garlic, raisins, and beets. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the collard leaves and seasonings. Cook for another 6 – 8 minutes.

Deborah offers the nutritional breakdown for her dishes at Huffington Post.

Although a Porcini Crusted Tenderloin Steak was suggested, I don’t eat meat so I let Ted choose and cook his own. It wasn’t porcini crusted but I think he liked it anyway.