Valentine's Day Dinner for Two

     This year for Valentine’s Day I thought I would treat my husband to a nice dinner at home. He usually goes out of his way to make me feel extra special and spoiled but this year I think he needs the extra TLC. He has a lot on his plate with work and has been studying to take a big exam less than two weeks from now. Time is precious for him so instead of completely ignoring the holiday we will have a nice dinner at home together.

     Starting with Zucchini Roll Ups-

Zucchini Roll Ups

     I browsed the internet for inspirations and found some very healthy and festive ideas. No reinventing the recipe wheel for me this time. My first search was for Valentine's day Dinner ideas. I saw a photo of zucchini roll ups that looked really good to me. The photo linked to this blog- zucchini rolls . Just do an image search for ‘zucchini roll ups’ and some pretty amazing looking images come up. There is an appetizer to be inspired by! I chose to buy some roasted tomato hummus to fill my roll ups with and garnish with a few pieces of roasted bell pepper. I always keep a jar of roasted bell peppers in the refrigerator. I sliced the zucchini on a mandoline, brushed the slices lightly with coconut oil, then grilled them outside. You can do this indoors with a grill pan. Grill the zucchini just enough to be soften and pliable for rolling with some crunch still to it. When they were cool, I spread each slice with hummus and rolled up and garnished with the bell pepper. The hummus was enough to hold them together. The grilling and roasted tomato hummus gave these a nice smokey flavor.

 Safety note- In the blog linked above, one of her photo’s shows she is slicing the zucchini without a hand guard. Seriously, don’t do that!!! One slip and you can loose a good chunk of your finger.

     I came across this blog for a salad inspiration- beet heart salad . I didn't want to be making everything from scratch so I used canned beets and bottled vinaigrette dressing. I know, making the dressing is easy but I needed to create some short cuts in this menu. I just dried the beets on a paper towel, put them on a plate and used a paring knife to cut out heart shapes.

Heart Beet Salad

     For the main entrée I was looking for a pasta inspiration. I saw lots of heart shaped ravioli's which seemed a bit to labor intensive but also sparked my interest in making ravioli's when I came across a gluten free pasta recipe. Bette Hagman is considered a pioneer in gluten free baking and one site had her recipe- gluten free pasta . Although I noticed the ingredient list didn't match up with the ingredients mentioned in the instructions. Other than this site, I couldn't find the recipe any where else so I made a pretty good attempt on my own. I will look for her book now for a more precise recipe. This recipe is very promising! I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose flour instead of her flour blend. I think I needed more starch flour to make the dough softer and to roll it out thinner. I also veered from my egg free diet and used eggs in the dough. The site suggested tofu as an alternative to using eggs but I wanted first make the recipe as it was before I made any alterations. For the filling I had some pumpkin in the freezer that I thawed and pressed out the extra water.

Vodka Pasta Sauce and Ravioli's

recipe link

      I was pretty sure my husband wasn't going to like the gluten free ravioli's so I bought went and bought ready made ones from the grocery store. I was very pleased with my first attempt at ravioli making and looking forward to perfecting  this recipe. The filling itself was really good!

     For the pasta sauce I replaced the dairy cream and used cashew cream. I have made cashew cream a few times but this time I was ecstatic with the results. Chef Tal Ronnen, author of The Conscious Cook, recommends that you soak the cashews over night. Previously I had only soaked them for a few hours. The longer soaking time made an incredibly smooth cream. It is so easy to make!! 

Cashew Cream
recipe link

    Dessert was an evolving idea that started with a previous chocolate tofu mouse I have made. I also had a gluten-egg free chocolate cake recipe and wanted to create something that had a nice presentation. On a special occasion like Valentine’s Day, pretty presentations make the occasion memorable! I improvised for equipment since I didn't have cake rings or acetate paper. I made cylinders from plastic notebook sleeves. The acetate paper would have been better as it is sturdier. I made the cake and mousse two days in advance. Then the day before Valentine's day I was thinking of adding a third layer with strawberries and cream. I used some agar agar flakes for a vegan gelatin substitute and coconut cream. Then this morning, I was thinking of how to garnish it. I melted some semi-sweet chocolate, dipped strawberries for a topping and used the melted chocolate to spread a thin layer on top.  The only thing I would change next time on these is the portion size. Because we had a full meal we were satisfied sharing one dessert. If just serving the dessert by itself this portion would be fine.

Valentine's Day Dessert Towers
recipe link

     With exception to the gluten free ravioli's, the evening was a success. My husband enjoyed everything, even the desert, which he didn't know included tofu :-) He felt that my dinner was like being at a nice restaurant. That is a compliment I will gladly accept! 

     One key to planning a dinner like this is to do things in stages. It would have been exhausting and overwhelming to have attempted making everything on Valentine's day. If you want to make everything from scratch that is great but there also is nothing wrong with purchasing things ready made. There are plenty of great pasta sauces, ravioli's and desserts available ready made. For me, I was trying to stick with my diet plan of eating vegan, gluten free so I chose to make things from scratch. I began making the dessert two days in advance and soaked the cashews overnight. The day before I made the cashew cream and ravioli sauce. The morning of Valentine's day I made the zucchini roll ups and salad. Then all I had to do at dinner time was warm up the sauce and boil the ravioli's leaving me lots of time to enjoy my evening with my husband.

     If not on Valentine's day why not plan a special dinner for someone you really care a lot about. With some inspiration, a little planning, your efforts will be greatly appreciated. I am a nurture at heart and love doing things for others but I am also a receiver, often from my generous husband. This was my time to keep the balance in our relationship. That is the secret to a long relationship and our 30 year marriage!