You want a romantic evening but you don’t want to deal with reservations. You want to knock your socks off of your valentine with your mad, slick kitchen skills. Well this menu will be your chance to shine and get your romance on. Check out past menus in case you want to mix and match (click here for last year’s). Have fun, pick out your awesome playlist, light the candles and enjoy!
Pretty in Pink
- Ice
- 1/2-ounce orange liqueur
- 1/2-ounce creme de cassis or grenadine
- Squeeze lemon juice
- 1-ounce organic vodka
- Organic club soda
- Lemon slice, for garnish
In a highball glass filled with ice, pour the orange liqueur, creme de cassis, lemon juice, and vodka. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.
Stuck On You Caramelized Walnut Salad
- 1 bulb fennel, halved and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
- 1/2 cup caramelized walnuts (recipe below)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 ounces (about 6 to 7 cups) mixed salad greens
- Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe below
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, toss together fennel, garlic, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the ingredients on the baking sheet in a single layer. Cook until the fennel is caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, place the salad greens, walnuts and caramelized fennel. Toss the salad with the Red Wine Vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Caramelized walnuts
- 1/2-cup walnut halves
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch cayenne
- 1-teaspoon walnut oil
In a medium skillet, cook the walnuts, brown sugar, salt, cayenne and 1 teaspoon of walnut oil over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and coats the nuts, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate the nuts. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with waxed paper to cool.
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon agave
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, agave, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Tipsy Vodka Cream Sauce Pasta
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 2/3 cupvegan heavy cream (1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast or grated pumpkin seeds, plus more for topping
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for topping
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add thepenne and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta. Empty the tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hands.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic andred pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka, tomatoes and salt to taste. Return the skillet to medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until the alcohol cooks off, about 7 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and basil.
Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt. Serve topped with more parmesan and basil.
Spice Up Your Night Chocolate Strawberries
- 6 ounces vegan chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons vegan heavy cream (1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pure chili powder, such as ancho
- 10 large strawberries with long stems
In a heat-proof mixing bowl, add the chocolate, cream, and butter. Place over a smaller pot of simmering water. Be sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in the chili powder and mix until fully incorporated.
Hold each strawberry by the long stem and dip into the chocolate allowing the excess to drizzle back into the pan. Place chocolate covered strawberries on a parchment or waxed paper lined sheet tray. Once chocolate is cool, chill until fully set, about 30 minutes.
Contact Me 
Carolyn Scott-Hamilton celebrated her 10 years as a vegan as well as an entrepreneur in 2009. After college, Carolyn moved to Los Angeles from Miami in 1998. Shortly after arriving and becoming vegan, she studied holistic nutrition as well as dabbled in the culinary arts before she opened Ineventions, originally a pr & event firm, it is now a full film, TV and web production branch under the umbrella of her original business. With the access and addition of the new business arm, Carolyn was able to start realizing her dream of traveling and eating all over the world and so the Healthy Voyager was born in 2005. Carolyn is an avid traveler but she found it quite difficult to find vegan friendly restaurants abroad. She tired of having to pack her own foods or eat bread, fries and junky foods when she was away. After realizing she could find and/or manipulate any menu to create a meal that satisfied her as well as her dining partners, she created the Healthy Voyager to show people that your dietary restrictions should not ruin you or your travel mates’ trip, be it business or pleasure. She knew that many people must endure the same problems no matter what their diet may be from medical or ethical reasons to just wanting to keep slim. She started her blog to document every city and place she dined as a resource for the finickiest of travelers. She also realized it was a great resource for those who were traveling with others who did not share their special needs as her posts offered suggestions to restaurants that shared options for all types of foodies ; ) As of 2006, she and her husband, of opposing gastronomic tastes, have traveled and dined healthily and harmoniously while documenting it all on film for the Healthy Voyager Web Series and growing the Healthy Voyager brand. Carolyn is the executive producer, creator, host and writer of The Healthy Voyager web series & radio show, site, blog, brand and social network. To connect with the Healthy Voyager, you may email her at Carolyn@healthyvoyager.com
Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:
Healthy Soups and Supers in San Diego by Carolyn Scott-Hamilton
Whether you are doing a tour of California for a little r and r or frequently travel San Diego for ComicCon, the southernmost metropolis of California, is a great place to visit. Beachy, relaxed and beautiful, healthy food is easy to find in this bayside border town. From my first San Diego postmany years ago until now, lots of great stuff has popped up so I’ve decided to go back and check out some of the new places in and around town.
Happy People Healthy Food by Adrienne Kelly-Durys
Can healthy food make you happy? Or, can happy people make the foods we eat healthier?When I think about these questions in relation to the upcoming holiday season,it seems obvious that eating steamed veggies over brown rice, although healthy, wouldn’t be as festive as a big holiday dinner with all the fixings. But what if that same big holiday dinner, with all the potatoes and gravy, when prepared with love and positive intention could be just as nourishing?
Written by Carolyn
The Healthy Voyager, aka Carolyn Scott-Hamilton, is the creator and host of The Healthy Voyager web series, site, and overall brand. An award winning healthy, special diet and green living and travel expert, holistic nutritionist, plant based vegan chef, best-selling cookbook author, media spokesperson, sought after speaker, consultant and television personality, Carolyn Scott-Hamilton is a respected figure in the world of healthy lifestyle and travel as well as special diet cooking and nutrition. The Healthy Voyager aims to help people live well, one veggie at a time! Learn more at
http://healthyvoyager.com/
