Sweets for Your Sweetie

Valentines Day is as good an occasion as any to share some memorable food with the people you love.  I've put together a list of spectacular desserts to celebrate with your valentine:

 Chocolate Caramel Baked Pears

Figs Stuffed with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Wishing you and your sweetie a wonderful Valentines Day!

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Heaven in Every Bite: Dark Chocolate Truffles

Holiday time comes alive when you get the whole family involved in making these marvelous treats. Little ones especially have fun with rolling the truffles in sugar or unsweetened coconut flakes if you are sugar-averse. It also teaches them the joys of creating a gift for someone as opposed to purchasing one. In our family, whoever helps gets to taste. I always have helpers!

I save glass jars all year long to serve as gift delivery devices.  I have been known to break down and actually purchase an unusual looking one. We use them for water cups, food storage and gift giving. When I need to put together a gift, all I need to do is select one, fill it with scrumptious treats and decorate the lid with a piece of fabric and a pretty ribbon. Sometimes, I'll add a little tag with the ingredients or the recipe. It is always very well received. The challenge is to resist eating these yummy truffles long enough to fill up the jar. If you can't help yourself,  you can at least take comfort in the fact that they are relatively healthy as far as truffles go.

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Dark Chocolate Truffles (makes 13 ) These treats are delicious and not too sweet. It's important to use the highest quality unsweetened cocoa powder so the richness really comes through. If you like things on the sweeter side you can use only 2 tsp of hazelnut liqueur and then add 1 tsp agave nectar. If you are using the hazelnut extract and water mixture, use only 1 tsp of water and then add the agave nectar. 1/2 cup hazelnuts 2 tbsp almond butter 3 plump dates, pitted 2 tbsp of unsweetened coconut flakes 2 tbsp high quality cocoa powder, unsweetened 1 tbsp hazelnut liqueur (or 1 tsp hazelnut extract + 2 tsp water) 1 tsp toasted hazelnut oil (or a mild vegetable oil) crystallized sugar to roll in or sweetened cocoa powder Place all the ingredients (except for the crystallized sugar or sweetened cocoa powder) in a food processor.  Grind into a paste.   Carefully, grab a little bit of the mixture in between your fingers: it should stick together into a malleable dough. Prepare a plate with the sugar. Set aside for the final step. Form the truffles by taking about two teaspoons of the mixture, clumping it together and rolling it into a little ball. Continue until all the mixture has been used. Gently roll each truffle on the plate with the sugar to coat evenly. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Printable Recipe

Need more chocolate?
Almond Bars with a Dark Chocolate Crust
Figs Stuffed with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream
Chocolate Caramel Baked Pears

Great Gift Ideas

Vegetarian Times Magazine is a great publication with wonderful recipes and enticing pictures. It features vegetarian, vegan and now gluten free recipes. The editors really try to provide a little something for everyone. I'm a flexitarian. My family loves to feast on vegetable dishes, so such a publication is not wasted on us. I am thrilled to hear that gluten-free choices will now appear in all their issues. I thought I would share the good news, seeing how most us are still shopping around for gifts for our loved-ones.





Another one of my favorite publications is Living Without Magazine: the articles are always interesting and their delicious recipes are varied and well explained.








For a great newsletter on nutrition, check out Nutrition Action: The Center for Science in Public Interest publishes this monthly gem. They are an advocacy group for nutrition, health, food safety, and sound science. Each issue is full of reliable, unbiased studies and analyses. Their food reviews are presented with an impeccable sense of humor.





Giving magazines and newsletters as gifts is truly the gift that keeps on giving: the recipient thinks of you every time they receive an issue. Now, as much as I would love for any of those publications to ask me to write for them, I am not affiliated with any of them--just an avid reader. Feel free to share your favorites as well. Happy Holiday Shopping!

Here are some Vegetarian Times gluten free recipes:

Pizza 5 ways
Country Bread

The Beauty of Fall: Acorn Squash Salad with Walnut Sauce and Pomegranate Seeds

You see it so clearly--a vision of what a dish was always meant to be: a visual stimulation, a harmony of texture, and symphony of good taste. This Acorn dish is all that and more.

You could just roast your acorn with olive oil, garlic and sea salt, and no one would argue that it isn't, indeed, wonderful that way. But when you are looking for something out of the ordinary, something that pushes the envelop a little, try this stunning acorn salad: it is as beautiful as it is delicious. The pictures don't do it justice...unfortunately, I am having problems with my camera.

Please share your favorite ways to serve this Fall favorite in the comment section of this post.

Acorn Squash Salad with Walnut Sauce and Pomegranate Seeds This would make a great addition to your holiday table. It looks so festive and it's a great make-ahead dish. 2 acorn squash (previously steamed, skinned, sliced into wedges and refrigerated) 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup walnut pieces 1/4 tsp sea salt 3 tbsp fresh italian parsley, chopped Seeds of half a fresh pomegranate Place the cooked acorn wedges on a platter. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a mortar or food processor. If using a mortar: proceed to crush all the ingredients together to form a thick sauce. If using the food processor: pulse a few times until you obtain a thick paste. Pour the sauce onto the slices of squash. Generously sprinkle the pomegranate seeds onto the whole thing and serve. ~serves 6~

Artsy-Foodie's Tips: Prepare the acorn squash ahead of time. To steam it: just cut it in half, seed it, and place it in a covered pyrex dish. Then microwave it for 8 minutes and voila! It's ready. Let it cool until cold enough to handle and cut it into wedges. Store in a sealed container in the fridge until the sauce is ready.


Looking for a clean and easy way to seed a pomegranate? Fill a large bowl with cold water. Cut the pomegranate in half, and submerge one half at a time into the water-filled bowl. Separate the seeds from the white pith while submerged. This is a great way to avoid a mess with this beautiful fruit.

One more recipe for your enjoyment:
Miso Glazed Acorn Squash

Thanksgiving Wishes and Cranberry Blueberry Sauce

Here's a little Thanksgiving tradition from my family to yours...this cranberry sauce recipe was given to me years ago by my sister. It has been a favorite of ours for every Thanksgiving celebration since.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It seems like the right time, therefore, to get back into the swing of blogging about food and sharing the recipes that allow us to slow down and enjoy the moment. Warmest wishes and Happy Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Blueberry Sauce 1 cup of sugar 1 cup water 16 oz frozen cranberries 1 cup frozen blueberries (reserve 1/4 cup and set aside) orange skin (1-2 strips of about 1/3" x 2") In a medium sauce pan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the cranberries and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Then, add 3/4 cups of blueberries and the orange skin. Continue simmering for 15 minutes, stirring every so often. Finally, add the remaining 1/4 cup of blueberries and allow the mixture to cool. It will keep for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.