Cook Your Way to Your Man’s Heart this Valentine’s Day
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So this year for Valentine’s Day I thought, why not put together a super sexy menu and cook my man an AH-mazing heartfelt dinner? Now, I know lots of men are meat and potato guys … and as DE-lish as a rib-eye with garlic mashed potatoes sounds, my hubby isn’t the one who wants to feel sexy in Valentine’s Day lingerie that night. So I decided to give it a bit of a healthier twist: lean filet mignon with sweet potato mash and roasted Brussels sprouts. YUM! For dessert, I chose to keep it simple and classic since the meal will be pretty filling: chocolate covered strawberries. They’re super easy, so so, so festive, and easy to decorate and do yourself! The meal may sound a little daunting, but I broke it down step by step so you can have a stress-free Valentine’s Day! Here are the recipes:
Appetizer: Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola Salad
Ingredients:
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 2 pears, cored and diced
- ½ cup of candied walnuts
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2oz gorgonzola
- Raspberry champagne vinaigrette
Directions:
- Place greens in a large bowl
- Top with pears, walnuts, and cranberries
- Toss with vinaigrette and top with gorgonzola to finish
Entrée: Filet Mignon
Ingredients:
- 2 8oz filets
- 2 tspns olive oil
- ¼ tspn onion powder
- 2 tblspns minced shallot
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Place oven rack in highest position and set oven to Broil
- Rub steak all over with olive oil
- Sprinkle with onion powder, salt and pepper
- Place steaks on broiler pan and broil 5-7 minutes
- Turn steaks over and sprinkle tops with shallots
- Broil for an additional 5-7 minutes
Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ pounds brussels sprouts
- 3 tblspns olive oil
- ¾ tspn kosher salt
- ½ tspn freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Cut off the brown ends and pull of any yellow outer leaves
- Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper
- Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, until crisp on outside and tender on inside
- Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve
Sweetheart Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 4 sweet potatos
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tbspns brown sugar
- 2 tspn ground cinnamon
- 1 tspn chili powder
- ¼ tspn salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for about 1 hour, or until soft
- Remove and let cool slightly
- In a bowl, whisk orange juice, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and chili powder
- Scoop out the insides and place in large bowl
- Pour orange juice mixture over sweet potatoes, mash and serve
Dessert: Chocolate Covered Strawberries
