When Valentine’s Day comes around, no one wants to endure the hour- long wait at fancy restaurants for expensive food, so why not cook! This 3-course meal is an option for you and your friends, valentines, and all the in-betweens. Set the scene with candlelight and a sexy outfit (to impress or feel good!).
Cocktail: Red or white wine
Course #1: Baked Brie with Sundried Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8 ounces brie (rind removed and cut into cubes)
2 ounces sundried tomatoes packed in oil (chopped)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Mix everything.
2. Transfer to a small baking dish. (The mixture should fill the baking dish to the brim as it will shrink when baked.)
3. Bake in a preheated 325F oven until the brie is melted and starts to bubble, about 20-30 minutes.
Serve with multigrain crackers.
Course #2: Sweet Potato Crusted Tilapia with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Fish:
The rule of thumb for fish is to buy ½ lb. to ¾ lb. per person.
1 pound Tilapia
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 egg plus 2 egg whites
½ cup of flour- with a dash of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of canola oil
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat the oven to 375. Put flour on a plate with sides and in another one, whisk 1 egg and 2 egg whites together and place dishes next to one another. Heat up a skillet on medium and put 1 tablespoon of butter and oil in the pan. Eyeball the size and shape of the piece of fish and drop shredded sweet potato into the pan in the same shape. Quickly dredge the fish in the flour and then egg and place on top of the sweet potato in the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes (or until the bottom is crispy). Then remove the fish from the pan with a spatula and replace the previous sweet potato with more for the other side of the fish and flip it. Let cook 4 minutes, and then place the entire pan in the oven to finish cooking (4-7 minutes). The fish should be opaque when done. Serve immediately.
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:
1 cup packed cilantro
1 medium clove garlic
2 limes juiced
½ cup light olive oil
1 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
pinch of sugar
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and chill until fish is ready.
Optional: Serve with a small salad of greens, avocado, tomato and goat cheese.
Course #3: Chocolate Almond Balls
1 pint of your favorite flavor of ice cream
1 bag of thinly sliced almonds
Chocolate sauce
Make big scoops of ice cream, roll them in almonds until covered and put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 2 hours. Take them out when ready to serve (at the end of your sexy meal) and cover with chocolate sauce.