Heart Healthy Valentine’s Dinner Menu

Heart Healthy Valentine’s Dinner Menu

Sliced Avocado with Balsamic Cilantro Dressing

Salmon with Ginger and Scallions over Noodles

Sautéed Spinach

Blueberries with Lemon Cream

Sliced Avocado with Balsamic Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Avocados, pitted and skinned

Directions:

Cut avocado lengthwise. Place slices in a heart-shaped pattern on a plate.

Balsamic Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. Minced garlic
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together. Drizzle over avocado slices and serve.

Salmon with ginger and scallions over noodles

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup sake or white wine
• ¼ cup mirin or dry sherry
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2” piece of ginger grated
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 6-8 scallions chopped
• 4 – ½ lb. salmon fillets
• Whole-Wheat Linguine or Spaghetti

Directions:

Place salmon skin side down in a skillet. In a small bowl combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Pour over salmon and sprinkle the scallions over top of the salmon. Place skillet on stove and bring to boil at medium-high heat. Turn heat down and simmer 3-4 minutes. Turn salmon over and continue simmering until salmon is cooked 3-4 minutes.

Cook linguine according to package directions. Remove salmon from stove. Break salmon into pieces and discard skin. Serve salmon and sauce over linguine.

Sautéed Spinach

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and thin sliced
• 1 bag (9 -10 oz.) baby spinach

Directions:

Heat olive in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add spinach leaves and toss gently as the spinach wilts about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Blueberries with Lemon Banana Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1½ cups blueberries, rinsed and drained

Directions:

In a food processor or a blender, combine all the ingredients except the blueberries. Puree until very smooth (about 2 minutes). Pour into a medium-sized mixing bowl and fold in the blueberries gently. Serve in bowls with a big spoon!

Your littlest LOVE BUG can enjoy this meal too!

To include a baby (over 8-10 months old) at the dinner table, take these steps:

• Avocado: skip the dressing and mash/blend the avocado
• Salmon: After cooking, rinse a piece of salmon quickly under water, mince with a fork or knife. Be sure to check thoroughly for bones.
• Noodles and Spinach: Combine a serving of noodles and spinach together. Puree in a blender or mince with knife.
• Blueberries with Lemon Banana Cream: Substitute maple syrup for the honey. Put a serving in the blender and puree it. If you want to skip the blueberries too, serve the banana cream for baby’s dessert.