Ignite Your Love Life and Heart Health With This Scrumptious Valentine’s Dinner

By Janette Hillis-Jaffe

In my coaching practice and workshops, I constantly hear what a challenge it is to eat healthy and be social; to enjoy the holidays and take care of your body at the same time. Valentine’s Day is a perfect example. You want to have a romantic evening, but after a four-course pasta meal and a heavy dessert, you might feel like heading for the couch instead of the boudoir.

If you’re on a restricted diet for your health, the evening can be even more fraught as you navigate the land-mine of gluten, dairy and sugar-rich foods on offer.

This delicious, satisfying three-course meal is not only free of refined sugar, dairy, meat or any grains, it’s also spiced with foods to spark your romance and keep your energy high and your heart healthy:

Starter: Roasted Squash, olive, avocado and arugula salad
Entree: Simple Pan-grilled, Wild-caught Salmon
Side: Mashed Cauliflower
Dessert: Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries

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Starter: Roasted Squash, olive, avocado and arugula salad 
from Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward

In addition to providing all kinds of good fats and vitamins and minerals, avocado contains Vitamin E, which helps the body produce the testosterone, progesterone and estrogen that keep us feeling sexy and energetic.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 large butternut squash
Olive oil to taste
1/2 TBS paprika
1/2 TBS mixed herbs like herbes de Provence
1/4 lb of arugula
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1 avocado

For the dressing:
1/2 TBS tamari or soy sauce
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Peel the butternut squash, then cut it into bite-size pieces.
3. Place pieces in baking tray and drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, paprika and dried herbs, mixing well.
4. Bake the squash for about 40 minutes, until soft, then leave aside to cool.
5. Mix all the dressing ingredients together.
6. Mix the arugula with the dressing and olives, before cutting the avocado into small cubes and adding it to the salad with the squash, once it’s cool.
7. Serve immediately.

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Entree: Simple Pan-grilled, Wild-caught Salmon
(original recipe)

Salmon is packed with omega 3 fatty acids, which, in addition to supporting good cardiac and cognitive function, also contributes to the production of those important sex hormones as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 lb wild-caught salmon filet
2 TBS olive oil
4 lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix together the garlic powder, dried basil, and salt in a bowl and rub well into the fish.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet to medium heat and cook the salmon until brown on both sides and flaky, about 5 minutes each side.
3. Serve each piece of salmon with a lemon wedge.

Side dish: Mashed Cauliflower
Posted by Cassy on www.fedandfit.com on February 8, 2013
http://fedandfit.com

Who knew? In addition to providing 85% of your recommended daily Vitamin C and contributing to lower blood pressure with a compound called sulforaphane, one cup of cauliflower can also help balance estrogen through a phytonutrient called indole 3 carbinol. It’s a virtual Valentine super-food.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups Roughly Chopped Cauliflower
3/4 cup Coconut Milk
1 1/2 TBS Coconut Oil
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 1/2 TBS Chopped Chives (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot to a light boil.
2. Add the cauliflower and simmer on low for ~10 minutes.
3. Drain and blend the cooked cauliflower in a food processor or blender until smooth.
4. Add some of the coconut milk to help liquefy in the food processor. (Note: you may need to blend in batches.)
5. Stir in the spices and coconut oil.
6. Adjust liquids and spices to your taste.
7. Top with chives and serve!

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Dessert – Chocolate Mousse with fresh berries
from Raw Foods Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet

Cocoa has been shown to decrease blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels, but it also contains the chemical phenylethylamine, which triggers endorphins and can elicit the perfect sense of well-being to put you in the mood for love.

NOTE: Don’t be put off by avocado in the ingredients! I have served this mousse dozens of times. Everybody loves it and nobody has ever (even once) guessed that there was avocado in it, unless they were already a raw dessert connoisseur.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar
1/2 TSP vanilla extract
1 1/2 ripe soft avocado
1/4 cup, plus two TBS unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix the dates, syrup and vanilla in a food processor until smooth.
2. Add the cocoa and avocado and process until creamy.
3. Add the water and process briefly.
4. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Janette Hillis-Jaffe is a health coach and speaker, and the author ofEveryday Healing: Stand Up, Take Charge and Get Your Health BAck  . . . One Day at a Time. 

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