A Heart Healthy Valentine’s Day Meal Made In A Hurry!

Posted on Feb 11 2015 - 2:25pm by Brenda Meehan

A heart healthy Valentine’s dinner that was both delicious and didn’t demand a lot of time in the kitchen! Company was coming mid-week and we pre-prepped pesto salmon, a pepper medley, + red potatoes confettied with parsley and EVOO! Cupid even made an appearance via fresh watermelon straight from the heart. When light and fast is a priority, this is the perfect way to celebrate heart health month. Our good friend Ann was in town and and we were able to relax and wind down while everything finished off, and dinner was on the table in 30 minutes!

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We have to give a shout out to our frieder Marilyn for her salmon and sautéed pepper recipes…they’ve become easy to make favorites for us. Our heart starters were individual simple salads, framed in tomato hearts! So special, and so easy! Simply slice grape tomatoes in half, and frame each salad plate with a heart!

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Pesto Salmon:

4 oz (or so) Fresh and Easy Genovese style Pesto
1 (12-ounce) salmon filet (We used two, giving us 8 servings…perfect for enjoying throughout the week either warmed up or even served cold with a salad!)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

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1.Spoon pesto over top with the salmon fillets, and spread evenly.

2. Bake for 12-15 minutes, checking around the 12 minute mark or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Parsley Red Potatoes:

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Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes
few tbsps of EVOO
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions
1. Quarter potatoes, and add to pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Add EVOO and parsley; toss with salt and pepper. Yield: 4-6 servings.

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Sautéed Pepper Medley

Ingredients:
6 bell peppers (2 each orange, yellow and red)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or a few teaspoons crushed garlic

Preparation:
Remove the stem, core and seeds from the peppers and slice them lengthwise into thin strips. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the peppers, season with garlic, salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the peppers have softened.

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And last but not least: a guilt free and cookie cutter simple cupid dessert! Fresh watermelon with strawberries, all “hearted up” in minutes! Take a small, seedless watermelon, and slice into inch thick round circle slices. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out 3-4 hearts, and then carefully use a sharp knife to cut small triangles and squares for your cupid’s arrows. Use a 4 inch skewer to align your arrow tip, then heart, then the end of the arrow.

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Slice a few strawberries (after removing the stem) in half length wise, and trim a small triangle out of the top…tiny heart garnish galore! Serve right from the fridge, perhaps with a fresh yogurt dip! Stay tuned tomorrow for our cupid-inspired company table!