Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. With it, comes the pressure to be in a relationship and have big plans. But, fret not. This Feb 14, crack open a bottle of wine, play some music or binge on some shows, and have a romantic dinner for one in your PJs. Here are a few recipes you can try.
Salmon & couscous
Ingredients
Couscous 75 g
Zucchini, small 1
Asparagus 1
Fresh red chilli 1
Tomatoes 2
Fresh coriander
Salmon fillet, skin on, scaled 120 g
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon 1/2
Yoghurt 1 tbsp
Method
Pour couscous into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Put a plate on top and leave for 10 minutes.
Prep the veggies. Slice the zucchini, asparagus and deseed and finely chop the chilli. Roughly chop the tomatoes, and the coriander leaves, discarding the stalks.
Slice the salmon into finger-sized strips, drizzle with olive oil, then season with pepper and a small pinch of sea salt.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium flame, add the salmon. Scatter zucchini and chilli on to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turning the salmon halfway.
Stir the tomatoes, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of oil and the chopped coriander into the couscous, then season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Remove the salmon strips. Add the couscous to the vegetables left in the pan. Toss and mix together, then place the salmon strips on top of the couscous. Cover with a lid and place back on high flame for one minute.
To serve, slide everything onto a plate, spoon over the yoghurt.
Reuben-ish sandwich
Ingredients
Rye bread 2 slices
Low-fat mayonnaise 2 tbsp
Sauerkraut 3 heaped tbsp
Fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced 1
Pastrami 3 slices
Gherkins few
Swiss cheese 60 g
Watercress leaves, to serve
Method
Grill the slices of bread until lightly toasted on both sides then spread one side of each with mayonnaise.
Put some of the sauerkraut and some of the chilli on 2 of the slices, and top with a couple of slices of pastrami.
Top with the remaining sauerkraut and chilli and the sliced gherkins, then grate the Swiss cheese over the top.
Preheat the grill. Place the slices with toppings under the grill until the cheese is melted and dribbling.
Stack the sandwich together, after adding a few watercress leaves. Press down lightly until nice and grilled.
Roasted chicken with cherry tomatoes and asparagus
Ingredients
Chicken breast 1
Asparagus, trimmed 8
Cherry tomatoes 6
Rosemary 2 sprigs
Sea salt 1 pinch
Freshly ground black pepper 1 pinch
Olive oil
White wine
Balsamic vinegar
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Put the chicken breast, with its skin left on, in a bowl.
Add the asparagus, cherry tomatoes and rosemary as well.
Toss everything together with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Put the veggies into a tinfoil tray and place the chicken and rosemary sprig on top. Season well.
Add some white wine and cook in the middle of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes.
Serve drizzled with balsamic
vinegar.
Leftovers affogato
Ingredients
Leftover dessert (Christmas pudding, chocolate mousse, tart, torte or pie) 75 g
Vanilla ice cream 1 scoop
Hot espresso 1 shot
Amaretti biscuits/graham cracker crumbs/ almond biscotti 1-2
Method
Spoon or crumble your leftover pudding into the bottom of a glass, cup or bowl.
Top with a scoop of ice cream and pour over the shot of espresso.
Crunch up your biscuits, then scatter it on top.
(Recipes and image
credit: www.jamieoliver.com)