Valentine meal do not need to be super fatty and calorie rich to be yummy. Here are London Mums favourite Valentines Healthy Recipes.
Valentines Recipes – Blazingly Hot Tomato Soup
(make 4 servings)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed or finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes or 8 good-sized, fresh, ripe tomatoes
- 120g roasted red peppers in oil
- 500 mls good chicken or vegetable stock
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Juice of 2 small limes
- Natural live/bio yoghurt
- Parsley leaves, finely chopped
Method
- Warm the oil in a heavy-based soup pot, add the onion, garlic and salt, cover and sauté over a very low heat for around 20-30 minutes until the onion and garlic are soft and sweet. Check and stir every 5 minutes or so to ensure the vegetables are not catching on the bottom of the pot.
- If you are using fresh tomatoes, place them in a large bowl, pour boiling water over to cover, count slowly to 30, drain off the water, leave the tomatoes until cool enough to handle then slip off the skins, remove the core and seeds and roughly chop the flesh.
- Drain the red peppers, chop and add to the pot with the fresh or tinned tomatoes, stock and spices and stir well then bring just to the boil before turning the heat down to low and simmering for 20 minutes.
- Blitz the soup in a liquidiser or blender before passing through a fine sieve into a clean pot, add the lime juice a tablespoon at a time and keep tasting until you get the perfect citrus ‘edge’, add sea salt to taste, reheat gently and serve topped with a generous spoonful of yoghurt straight from the fridge (the hot and spicy soup combined with the oh so cold yoghurt is magical!) and top with a good sprinkling of parsley.
- This soup (without the yoghurt topping) will keep in the fridge for a few days or you can portion and freeze it for convenience.
Smoked Bacon and Queenie Warm Salad
(makes 4 servings)
Ingredients
- 4 rashers smoked bacon
- 4½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine/sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grain mustard
- 16 queen scallops
- 1 small packet baby asparagus tops
- 4 free range, organic eggs for poaching
- Parmesan cheese for grating
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Mixed salad leaves
Method
- Fry the bacon rashers over a medium heat in their own fat until crisp. Remove, cut into small pieces and reserve.
- In a separate small pan, place 3½ tablespoons of the oil, the wine/sherry vinegar, the mustard, the balsamic, a scant pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Heat through but do not allow to boil.
- Meanwhile, steam the asparagus spears and poach the eggs lightly. Add the remaining oil to the residual fat from the bacon and heat gently.
- Season the scallops very lightly with salt, add to the pan and fry quickly for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side depending on their size. Do not overcook or they will become rubbery.
- Toss the scallops in the warm dressing, ensuring they are evenly coated, then add the bacon and toss again.
- Arrange a small pile of salad leaves in the centre of each serving plate and spoon the scallop and bacon mixture over the top. Place the poached egg on top and scatter the asparagus spears.
- Drizzle any remaining dressing over the salad, generously grate over some fresh Parmesan and serve immediately.
Sweet Potato Curry
(makes 4 servings)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely sliced/chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt crystals
- 1½ teaspoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 x 400g can coconut milk
- 1 x 400g can pineapple pieces in fruit juice, drained and lightly crushed
- 4 generous handfuls baby spinach leaves
Method
- Heat the coconut oil in a deep sauté pan, add the onion, garlic and salt, stir briskly over a medium heat for a minute or two then turn the heat down to very low, place a lid on the pan and sauté for around 10 minutes or until the onion is soft and cooked through.
- Add the curry powder and cayenne pepper, stir well and sauté for a further 5 minutes before adding the sweet potato, stirring again, turning the heat up to medium and sautéing the whole mixture for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and the pineapples, continue cooking until the mixture is lightly bubbling then turn the heat to very low, put the lid on and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked through but not too soft.
- Add the spinach and stir well into the mix until just wilted and serve immediately. Don’t stint on the spinach – it seems like a lot when you add it but it wilts down fast and is bursting with essential vitamins and minerals – a veritable ‘super’ food!
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