Valentine’s Dinner for Two: Part 1

Ingredients (2 servings)

For the Salad

• 3 cups of mixed field greens or baby spinach
• 2 medium beets
• 1 orange
• ¼ cup toasted pistachios

For the Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• Zest of ½ an orange
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

For the Salad

Peel and boil beets for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Toast pistachios in a 350 degree oven for about 6 minutes or until fragrant. Crush or chop pistachios.

Remove beets and cool at room temperature while assembling the rest of the salad

Peel the orange and slice across the segments into circles

Wash and dry greens

Layer the greens with the beets, oranges and top with roasted pistachios

For the Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette

In a food processor, add all ingredients except the oil

Cover and process until combined.

With the food processor running slowly, add oil in a steady stream until mixture is thickened.

Ingredients (4 mushrooms)

Ratatouille Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

• 2-3 large Portobello mushrooms, gills removed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 baby eggplant peeled and diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• ½ cup onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped herbs (we used oregano, rosemary, and thyme)

For the Parmesan bread crumbs

• 1-2 slices whole grain bread
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Instructions

For the Ratatouille:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, roast cherry tomatoes for 12-15 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Add eggplant and zucchini, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add roasted cherry tomatoes and herbs.

Season with salt and pepper.

For the bread crumbs:

Cut bread into cubes

Add bread and Parmesan into a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form.

Assembly

Arrange mushrooms on a baking sheet, fill with ratatouille

Top each mushroom with the Parmesan bread crumbs

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating the pan halfway through cooking to ensure even browning.