A Valentine’s Day Dinner for Your Heart

It’s here! The pink and red hearts are out in the store windows reminding us Valentine’s Day is approaching. The cynic in me sighs as another holiday’s sugary candies take centre stage. But cynicism aside, I do think it is beautiful to have a day to remind us of the importance of love for ourselves and others. It’s also a good reminder of our symbolic organ of love, our heart.

And I’m not even against the chocolate or flowers. But, if I really were to think about what our heart needs to be nourished, I wouldn’t put pink sugary candies that say “Be Mine” on my list.

So, what would be on my list? I decided to create a Valentine’s Day Dinner centred around the heart. I’ve put in foods that help to balance blood flow and nourish the heart and its vessels.

Green Salad with nuts, Stir-fried Vegetables with Baked Salmon

Baked Salmon
Preheat your oven to 400F. Begin with taking the salmon fillet and place on a roasting pan, skin side down. Pour a little olive oil on top and sprinkle with sea salt. You can also add lemon juice and parsley if you prefer. Take out when the salmon flakes off with a fork (about 20 – 30 minutes), depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Green Salad

• Leafy greens, either the spring mix or romaine or red leaf lettuce – wash and cut
  Celery – 2 stalks, finely chopped
  Raw chopped nuts (almond, walnut, pecan) if desired

Wash celery and lettuce. Chop and put into a large bowl. Add nuts if desired. Season with olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of sea salt.

Stir-fried Vegetables
After the salad is finished, begin the vegetables while the salmon continues to cook.

• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped thinly
• 2 carrots, chopped thinly
• ½ head of broccoli, cut into small pieces
• Olive oil – 1 – 2 tbsp
• Soy Sauce – 2 tsp
• Sesame oil – 1 tsp
• Bit of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat up your pan and put a bit of grapeseed or coconut oil to begin. Then add the green onions to cook a few minutes. Next, add the garlic and then the carrots, celery and broccoli. Keep your wooden spoon moving the vegetables so they all touch the pan evenly. After a few minutes, add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Then remove from the pan and put in a serving dish.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

• 1 whole avocado ½ cup dark cocoa powder
• ½ cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup non-dairy milk (oat, coconut, almond)

Directions: Blend all ingredients together. Chill in fridge for an hour to get a mousse-like texture.

Beverages

• 1 glass of red wine, organic preferred.
  Linden or Ginger tea
  Fresh water with lemon and pinch of cayenne

So, that would be a great dinner to honour and celebrate your heart. And if you do end up with some of the heart-shaped chocolates, smile as you eat a few to enjoy them fully. This brings more awareness and pleasure to the act of eating. If you do overindulge in the chocolate, forgive yourself, move on and eat some more celery.