QOTW: Valentine's Plans?

[Guest guest]

Time for a new batch of questions of the week. These

are posted each week to encourage sharing and for fun.

 

Valentine's Day is coming up. Do you have any special

plans? Will you celebrate with chocolate? Will you

go out to eat? Will you prepare a special romantic

vegetarian meal at home?

 

Please share a speical recipe too, if you get a

chance.

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I don't have anyone to celebrate Valentine's with, therefore I don't for the

most part. I may order some vegan chocolates from Pangea or something, though,

or buy some pink carnations for the dining or coffee table.

 

" artichoke72x " <artichoke72x wrote: Time for a new

batch of questions of the week. These

are posted each week to encourage sharing and for fun.

 

Valentine's Day is coming up. Do you have any special

plans? Will you celebrate with chocolate? Will you

go out to eat? Will you prepare a special romantic

vegetarian meal at home?

 

Please share a speical recipe too, if you get a

chance.

 

________

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[Guest guest]

We will have a nice romantic candlelight dinner at home. Hubby always gets me

some beautiful flowers.

I have a heart shaped springfrom pan that I will make a cheese cake in. We

already have the table and house, including a valentine tree decorated, so it is

festive. I'm going to try and figure out a menu soon. I like eating at home

better because my choices of food to eat are far better........ smiles.........

and no long lines to wait in, like the restaurants will have that day....

Judy

 

" artichoke72x " <artichoke72x wrote: Time for a new batch

of questions of the week. These

are posted each week to encourage sharing and for fun.

 

Valentine's Day is coming up. Do you have any special

plans? Will you celebrate with chocolate? Will you

go out to eat? Will you prepare a special romantic

vegetarian meal at home?

 

Please share a speical recipe too, if you get a

chance.

 

________

Looking for last minute shopping deals?

Find them fast with Search.

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[Guest guest]

I'll make a special meal followed by home-made truffles for dessert.

 

Starters: Pistachio Dukkah

1 cup of shelled pistachio nuts

1 cup almonds

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt

Toast the nuts 400*F oven for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent

burning. Toast the spice seeds and sesame seeds separately in the same way.

Cool and combine with the remaining ingredients in a food processor.

Pulse grind the mixture until it resembles small breadcrumbs. The mixture should

be very dry and crumbly, not a paste. Do not over-process as this can release

the oil from the nuts making the mixture moist, which you don't want. Can also

grind with mortar and pestle.

 

To eat, tear pita bread into wedges and dip in a good quality olive oil and then

into the dukkah mixture.

 

Pita Bread

3 cups bread or whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder

6 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 teaspoons sugar or a tablespoon honey (my preference if using whole wheat

flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

 

Mix yeast, water and sugar. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, combine flour, dried milk and salt.

 

Pour in oil and water and mix well. You might need to add more flour or water,

depending on the absorbency of the flour. Knead dough briefly, divide into 18

egg sized balls.

 

Place on a floured surface, cover and let rest for 15-30 minutes. Roll out balls

and cook one at a time in a medium hot dry skillet until large bubbles form.

(like pancakes) Flip pita over and cook the other side for a few more minutes.

Flatten it out with a spatula. Keep bread warm, either wrapped in a dish towel

or place in a ziploc bag while cooking the rest of the bread. Freeze well.

 

Main Course: Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti

8 ounces mushrooms, wiped, sliced

1, 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and well drained (mash between

layers of paper towels to remove all water)

2 cups Italian cheese blend, divided

14 manicotti pasta shells, cooked (hold in cool water, drain before filling)

2 cups your preferred marinara sauce

2 eggs

2 tablespoons Italian herb blend

15 ounces Ricotta cheese

Olive oil for sauteeing mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

 

Saute garlic and mushrooms together in olive oil. Cream ricotta cheese, eggs,

Italian herb blend, spinach and half the Italian cheese blend together. Add

mushroom and garlic mixture. Wipe a cooked manicotti shell then stuff with

mixture, placing in baking dish. When all the shells are stuffed, pour marinara

sauce over all.

 

Bake at 350* for 40 minutes or until heated through, sauce is bubbly. Top with

rest of the Italian cheese blend and return to oven until melted. (About 5

minutes)

 

Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Freezes well.

 

Dessert:

Coffee

Truffles (white chocolate cashew and dark chocolate raspberry)

 

White Chocolate Cashew truffles

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 pound Ghirardelli white chocolate

Chopped cashews

 

Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and add

chopped white chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Refrigerate until

mixture is cold and you can roll into balls. (I do it overnight).

 

Make tablespoon sized balls of white truffle ganache and roll in chopped

cashews. Store in tightly covered container.

 

The combination of crunchy-salty of the nuts and sweet-creamy of the truffles is

really good. They are not overly sweet

 

White Chocolate Cashew Truffles

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 pound Ghirardelli white chocolate, chopped

Chopped cashews

 

Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and add

chopped white chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Refrigerate until

mixture is cold and you can roll into balls. (I do it overnight).

 

Make tablespoon sized balls of white truffle ganache and roll in chopped

cashews. Store in tightly covered container.

 

The combination of crunchy-salty of the nuts and sweet-creamy of the truffles is

pure bliss.

 

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

1 pound Ghirardelli double chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam, jelly or preserves

1 teaspoon raspberry extract (optional) or raspberry liqueur

Dutch process cocoa for rolling truffles

 

Put heavy whipping cream and raspberry jam together in pot. Bring cream mixture

to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in chocolate, raspberry

extract or liqueur.

 

Put in refrigerator until ganache is cool enough to form into balls. (It is

very runny, like frosting, to begin with. It thickens.) I refrigerate

overnight.

 

Form into tablespoon sized balls of ganache then roll in Dutch process cocoa or

dip in melting chocolate. Store in a tightly covered container.

 

Truffle note: Ganache is sometimes sticky to work with. If, after overnight

chilling, it is still too liquid, add a small bit of sifted confectioner's

sugar. I have never had to do this, but some are less patient with chocolate.

Never, ever, let water get in chocolate as it will seize up and be a big blob of

garbage.

 

Truffles are meant to be slowly savored, not chomped down like M & M's. I will

serve one of each type truffle on pretty plates with paper doilies.

 

We'll enjoy our evening over several hours. I will give my husband a long

massage with coconut oil followed by a long soak in the tub with candles all

over the place. He'll give me a long foot massage and we'll sleep like babies.

 

We've been married 40 years, so I suppose we're doing something right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Wow, Jeanne, may I be your valentine too? I'm willing to fly from MN to GA

for just that one night.

 

My hubby & I will likely be much less exciting and go out to eat. We've only

lasted 20 years, so I may need to increase my standards in order to last 40.

 

Heidi

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I'm going to the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA the weekend before. They

have very nice restaurants though I checked the menus online and I

don't see anything in the way of vegetarian entrees. I'm going to

their Steakhouse and ordering a bunch of sides, I will mention to them

my reason for doing so, maybe someday things will change. On the

actual Valentine's day I'm going to a nine-ten restaurant in La Jolla

because it's also nice and they have a soy marinated tofu entree that

sounds great.

[Guest guest]

I'm going to the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA the weekend before. They

have very nice restaurants though I checked the menus online and I

don't see anything in the way of vegetarian entrees. I'm going to

their Steakhouse and ordering a bunch of sides, I will mention to them

my reason for doing so, maybe someday things will change. On the

actual Valentine's day I'm going to a nine-ten restaurant in La Jolla

because it's also nice and they have a soy marinated tofu entree that

sounds great.

[Guest guest]

It may not be on the menu but you should ask what they suggest for a

vegetarian they may have a vegetable plate.

 

When my son turned 21 a couple of weeks ago he wanted to go to Morton's of

Chicago, he and my husband are not vegetarian. We went and I asked what they

suggest and they brought me a plate filled with steamed broccoli, spinach and

mushrooms, asparagus, and a plum tomato and a huge baked potato, it was 3

meals for me. My daughter who is vegetarian only wanted mashed potatoes for

dinner.

 

Gayle

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

my hubby and i aren't big romantics. valentine's day is on a

thursday this year....my hubby works thurs. nights, so i'll be lucky

if i even see him that day. maybe i'll make a special meal on the

following saturday. i don't know what yet....i'll have to go thru my

recipes to figure out a menu.

 

here's a decadent chocolate fondue recipe that i've made for the past

several v-days.

 

i made this for valentines last year...it's wonderful!

i served it with strawberries, bananas, marashino

cherries, various cookies, marshmallows, and pound

cake for dipping. i don't have a fondue pot and i

just served it in a small warmed bowl....that worked

just fine. enjoy!

 

CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT CREAM FONDUE

 

1 15-ounce can sweetened cream of coconut (such as

Coco López)

12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet

chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Assorted fresh fruit (such as whole strawberries,

1-inch-thick slices banana, 1-inch cubes peeled cored

pineapple, and tangerine segments)

 

Combine sweetened cream of coconut and 12 ounces

chocolate in heavy large saucepan. Stir mixture over

very low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is

smooth. Stir in whipping cream and extract. (Fondue

can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover; store at room

temperature. Stir over low heat to rewarm before

serving.)

 

Transfer mixture to fondue pot. Place over candle or

canned heat burner. Serve with fruit for dipping.

 

Makes 8 servings.

 

recipe source: Bon Appétit December 2002

 

, " artichoke72x "

<artichoke72x wrote:

>

> Time for a new batch of questions of the week. These

> are posted each week to encourage sharing and for fun.

>

> Valentine's Day is coming up. Do you have any special

> plans? Will you celebrate with chocolate? Will you

> go out to eat? Will you prepare a special romantic

> vegetarian meal at home?

>

> Please share a speical recipe too, if you get a

> chance.

>

[Guest guest]

This sounds lovely, Judy. Is it traditional with you to decorate for

all holidays? I always miss my Christmas decorations when they are gone

but it is not really the tradition here to decorate the house at any

other time of year.

Christie

 

, " wwjd " <jtwigg wrote:

>

> We will have a nice romantic candlelight dinner at home. Hubby

always gets me some beautiful flowers.

> I have a heart shaped springfrom pan that I will make a cheese cake

in. We already have the table and house, including a valentine tree

decorated, so it is festive. I'm going to try and figure out a menu

soon. I like eating at home better because my choices of food to eat

are far better........ smiles......... and no long lines to wait in,

like the restaurants will have that day....

> Judy

>

>

[Guest guest]

This sounds wonderful, Jeanne. Be thankful I have become vegan or I

would be hammering on your door wanting some of those truffles, LOL.

I shall be trying your dukkah recipe. I love dukkah sprinked on rice,

or potatoes, or steamed veggies - well, on just about anything. The

one I usually buy uses roasted hazelnuts, but that combination of

coriander and cumin seeds is one of my favourites. Have a great day.

Christie

 

, treazure noname

<treazured wrote:

>

> I'll make a special meal followed by home-made truffles for dessert.

>

> Starters: Pistachio Dukkah

> 1 cup of shelled pistachio nuts

> 1 cup almonds

> 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

> 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

> 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

> 1/4 cup sesame seeds

> 1/4 teaspoon salt

> Toast the nuts 400*F oven for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently

to prevent burning. Toast the spice seeds and sesame seeds separately

in the same way.

> Cool and combine with the remaining ingredients in a food

processor.

> Pulse grind the mixture until it resembles small breadcrumbs. The

mixture should be very dry and crumbly, not a paste. Do not over-

process as this can release the oil from the nuts making the mixture

moist, which you don't want. Can also grind with mortar and pestle.

>

> To eat, tear pita bread into wedges and dip in a good quality olive

oil and then into the dukkah mixture.

[Guest guest]

Valentine's Day doesn't really exist over here unless you are part of

a couple, or wanting to be so. Cards are all romantically inclined

and food and flowers suddenly very expensive. Sadly it will all be

passing me by again :-( Maybe I'll have a go at veganising Jeanne's

truffle recipes.

Christie

 

, " artichoke72x "

<artichoke72x wrote:

>

> Time for a new batch of questions of the week. These

> are posted each week to encourage sharing and for fun.

>

> Valentine's Day is coming up. Do you have any special

> plans? Will you celebrate with chocolate? Will you

> go out to eat? Will you prepare a special romantic

> vegetarian meal at home?

>

> Please share a speical recipe too, if you get a

> chance.