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Put a little romance in your Valentine’s menu with this heart-shaped dish!
That Hallmark Holiday full of hearts and candy is just around the corner! Noah and I aren’t big on going all out on Valentine’s Day. We’d rather dine at a fancy restaurant when we don’t have to make reservations 6 months in advance and don’t have to sit inches away from the next couple. So, our Valentine’s celebration tends to stay pretty low key. I love to just simply cook at home for him and create a thoughtful and tasty menu.
This year I wanted to think of something red and heart shaped, that was full of rich flavor, but pretty simple to make. The roasting of the vegetables gives a depth of flavor and can be done ahead of time since it is a little time consuming. This would be perfect served alongside a nice juicy steak, or a beautiful piece of fish! It’s also incredibly simple yet thoughtful to serve it in the shape of a heart. On days like Valentine’s day, it’s the little things that really speak volumes to your thought, love and effort towards your significant other. So, if you’re like us and going to cook in this year, consider adding this festive dish to your menu!
The Innards:
- 2 medium red Heirloom Tomatoes, sliced
- 2 Red Bell Peppers, seeded and cut in half
- 4 Cloves Garlic, skin on
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
- 2 cups Quinoa, cooked
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup Goat or Feta Cheese, crumbled
- S+P
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
1. Slice your tomatoes, cut your peppers in half, and place them in a baking dish with unpeeled garlic cloves.
2. Drizzle the olive oil and coat with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven at 300 degrees for one hour.Image may be NSFW.
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3. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. (I personally always do 1/2 vegetable broth and 1/2 water when making my quinoa for extra flavor)
4. When the vegetables are roasted, let cool until able to handle, then dice up the tomatoes and peppers.
5. Remove the garlic from its peel and mince, save juices from baking dish.
6. Combine peppers, tomatoes, garlic, crumbled cheese and freshly chopped basil into quinoa.
7. Pour remaining juices from your baking dish, if any over the quinoa salad, mix well.
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8. Scoop some of the quinoa salad into a heart shaped cookie cutter and press it into the cutter in order for it to maintain that shape.
Remove the cookie cutter (or not, it’s cute either way) and serve warm or room temperature!
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Bon Appétit!
Filed under: Holiday, Meatless Monday, Sides Tagged: cooking, food, meatless monday, quinoa and tomato salad, quinoa with roasted red peppers and tomatoes, recipes, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, valentines recipes, vegetarian Image may be NSFW.
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