ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without the romantic meal. It’s easier, and cosier, to go green at home.  Save energy romantically and dine by candlelight. Buy your food from an local organic farmer’s market.

If you and your valentine like to indulge in wines and champagnes, look for biodynamically grown grape varieties from wineries that support and harvest only from organic vineyards. Sip from recycled glassware, don't forget to recycle your empty bubbly bottle(s)!

Plan a simple meal with a lot of presentation – Use a heart shape cookie cutter for making bread croutons and serve with  beetroot soup/ pate / dip. Use the heart cookie cutter for vegetables, fruit and salad ingredients. Heart shape moulds are just the thing for a Valentine’s dessert, try ricotta dessert or frozen fruit through the champion juicer and freeze in heart mould.
 
 Bake A Heart Shape Cake

1 cup organic dates

½ cup organic yoghurt

2 cups flour of choice (1 cup organic coconut flour + 1 cup orgran SR flour) / (buckwheat + millet meal + brown rice flour)

½ cup fruit juice (eg grape / orange) / water

1 egg

Coconut milk

Simmer dates in juice – cool

Blend yoghurt + egg

Process / sift flour

Add yogurt mixture to flour and gently fold through

Add coconut milk if too dry

Bake preheated oven 180 for approx.30 – 45 minutes

Variations:

Pumpkin Cake... add ½ cup cold cooked organic pumpkin

Sultana Cake...add ¾ cup organic sultanas

Mixed Fruit... add 1 cup mixed organic fruit for dates, add mixed spice + ginger + nutmeg

Valentine’s Delight...add freshly grated beetroot and zucchini + sultanas

Apricot...add chopped organic apricots for dates + shredded organic coconut

Enjoy!

For Raw Energy...

Valentine’s Carob Cake

2 cups quinoa flakes

1 cup organic shredded coconut

1 cup sesame seeds, ground

3 tablespoons organic carob powder

1 cup organic fruit, diced (strawberrries / raspberries / mixture of berries or pitted cherries)

1 cup organic dates, chopped

Mix all ingredients until smooth and press into heart shape container suitable for fridge.

Sprinkle with coconut and decorate with sliced strawberries or top with carob frosting (blend banana + carob powder + rice syrup + organic arrowroot)

Chill. Keep in fridge until serving.

Wherever possible be sure to use organic ingredients.

Time with your loved ones is always time well-spent, but who can resist the allure of good, healthy eating?  Design your own meal-to-remember this Valentine’s Day with passion.