Dinner for Two, Please

Instead of trying to make a reservation three days in advance or waiting hours before your party is called for a table, why not try making a romantic dinner for two together or have it more personal at one of your houses? A V-day dinner doesn’t have to be at a fancy place to be special. If anything, it’s more special if you put your own love in it (I know, cheesy but true!). He’ll notice the time you took out of your busy schedule to get the ingredients needed for dinner and dessert and he’ll also be excited to see how scrumptious of a meal you can whip up in the kitchen. Like our mothers always said,” The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Don’t trip! Here are some easy but healthy recipes that will surely impress your man:

French Onion Beef Tenderloin

Time spent: 45 minutes

What you’ll need:

8 ounces beef tenderloin (filet mignon) or sirloin steak, 1-1 1/2 inches thick, trimmed and cut into 2 steaks

1/4 teaspoon minced dried onion

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry (see Note)

1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 slices whole-grain baguette (1/2 inch thick), toasted

1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Preparation:

1.Sprinkle steaks with dried onion, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat 11/2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, turning once, until desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a plate and tent with foil.

2.Position a rack in upper third of oven. Preheat broiler.

3.Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add onion and sherry, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and golden brown and the liquid has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onion and stir to coat. Add broth, thyme and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook until bubbling and thickened, about 1 minute more.

4.Remove from the heat and return the steaks and any accumulated juice to the pan. Pile up some of the onions on top of the steaks. Top each steak with a slice of baguette and some cheese. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Serve the steaks with the onions and sauce.

Nutrition:

376 calories, 18 g fat, 20 g carbs, 31 g protein, 3 g fiber, 533 mg sodium, 574 mg potassium

Chicken Breast with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Time: 30 minutes

What you’ll need:

2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium shallot, minced

1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps

2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine

1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Preparation:

1.Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.

2.Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

3.Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Nutrition:

275 calories, 15 g fat, 84 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbs, 25 g protein, 1 g fiber, 373 mg sodium, 370 mg potassium

Salsa- Roasted Salmon

Time: 25 minutes

What you’ll need:

1 medium plum tomato, roughly chopped

1/2 small onion, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 or 3 dashes hot sauce

8 ounces center-cut salmon fillet, skinned (see Tip) and cut into 2 portions

Preparation:

1.Preheat oven to 400°F.

2.Place tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeño, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, salt and hot sauce to taste in a food processor; process until finely chopped and uniform.

3.Place salmon in a medium roasting pan; spoon the salsa on top. Roast until the salmon is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition:

256 calories, 15 g fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbs, 24 g protein, 1 g fiber, 362 mg sodium, 545 mg potassium

Don’t skimp out on dessert! It’s one of the best parts of Valentine’s Day and it’s also better because you’re most likely sharing a dessert. With these altered recipes you can enjoy classics like brownies and cheesecake. He’ll never have to know you tweaked the ingredients and he won’t believe it either.

Fudge Walnut Brownies

Serves 20

Time: 45 minutes

What you’ll need:

3.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks, divided

1/3 cup fat-free milk

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided

Cooking spray

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

 2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Combine 1/2 cup chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir in butter, vanilla, and eggs. Add milk mixture, 1/2 cup chocolate, and 1/4 cup nuts to flour mixture; stir to combine.

 3. Pour the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup nuts. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 20 pieces.

Lemon Cake

Serves: 16 people

Time: 30 minutes

What you’ll need for the cake:

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 cup nonfat buttermilk

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

What you’ll need for the icing:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon lemon rind

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Lemon rind strips (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

 2. To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray. Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.

 3. Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

 4. Place granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and nonfat buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon rind and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

 5. Pour batter into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.

 6. To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients (except lemon rind strips) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake. Garnish with lemon rind strips, if desired. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Vanilla Cheesecake with Cherry Topping

Serves: 16 people

Time: 45 minutes

What you’ll need for the crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons water

Cooking spray

For the filling:

3 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened

2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (8-ounce) carton fat-free sour cream

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

For the topping:

2/3 cup tawny port or other sweet red wine

1/2 cup sugar

2 (10-ounce) bags frozen pitted dark sweet cherries

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons cornstarch

4 teaspoons water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.

 To prepare crust, combine first 3 ingredients, tossing with a fork. Add 2 teaspoons water; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly. Gently press mixture into bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

 Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

 To prepare filling, beat cheeses with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Combine 1 cup sugar, flour, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Add to cheese mixture; beat well. Add sour cream; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; stir seeds into cheese mixture, reserving bean halves.

 Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake center barely moves when pan is touched. Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

 To prepare topping, combine port, 1/2 cup sugar, cherries, and reserved vanilla bean halves in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until cherries are thawed and mixture is syrupy. Remove vanilla bean halves; discard.

 Combine juice, cornstarch, and 4 teaspoons water, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Stir cornstarch mixture into cherry mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened and shiny. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Cover and chill. Serve over cheesecake.