Celebrate Valentine's Day the easy way by preparing a simple meal for friends, family, significant other, or savor it solo.
Post updated 1/22/2024
Make Valentine's Day meals attractive, nourishing, and delicious by using whole food plant-based (WFPB) ingredients that are a snap to assemble and warms hearts as well.
Discover easy to follow recipe ideas below.
They were selected, because they can be made by even a newbie cook, are chock full of colorful veggies or fruit, healthful legumes, crunchy nuts and seeds, filling whole grains, and lively seasonings.
Rest assured. These Valentine's Day dishes are flavor-packed and versatile.
Mix and match those recipes that appeal to you. Prepare them for weekday or weekend lunches or dinners, and special occasions like birthdays, Mother's day, and Earth Day too.
Take a moment to read "Why I'm going Vegan for Earth Day" for eco-reasons to eat plant-based.
Use food prep time to unwind and relax, and follow the recipes to make eye-appealing, nutrient rich dishes.
Remember this ~ preparing a meal with whole food plant-based ingredients is a fabulous way to self-care and show care for loved ones. 💓
When we are mindful about our food choices, it reaps big health rewards!
Tip: Prepare your food the day before, and refrigerate it. Most foods can be served at room temperature. So enjoy the fruits of your labor at your leisure on this special day of love.
Now on to the recipes.
First recipe up is one of my all-time favorite dishes, and fav of the man I love as well.
Simple Vegan Pasta with Pesto Sauce
Recipe by Nancy Andres
Ingredients:
½ lb. pasta
2 cups
tightly packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup raw unsalted cashews or raw unsalted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 to 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon
lemon juice
Optional
Ingredients: red pepper flakes, a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half, parsley, and a sprinkle of
nutritional yeast to add a cheesy flavor
What to
do:
1. Cook pasta according to
directions on the package.
2. While the pasta is cooking,
place cleaned basil leaves, raw unsalted pine nuts or raw unsalted cashews, and
peeled garlic cloves into a food processor bowl fitted with an S blade.
3. Pulse to combine, and stop when mixture is coarsely ground. Turn on motor and pour drops of olive oil through the feeding tube into
the bowl in a thin stream.
4. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and additional seasoning ingredients. Pulse a few more times to combine. Blend into cooked pasta. Garnish with organic grape tomatoes or organic red pepper slices.
This recipe serves 2
people. Plate immediately and serve. If you're preparing it ahead of time, refrigerate. Then serve within a day or two at
room temp on a bed of lettuce.
Serve this yummy pesto sauce on your favorite pasta, or on sandwiches, veggies, and whole grains including rice, quinoa, millet, and wheat berries.
Use it as a topping for
sliced heirloom tomatoes or add a few tablespoons to your salad dressing of
choice.💓
April, the blogger who offers Lifestyle Inspiration for Modern Women serves up Old Fashioned Vegetable and Barley Stew (Vegan) any time she wants a warming, comforting, and incredibly satisfying meal, including special occasions like Valentine's Day.💓
To round out my Vegan Recipe Roundup, here's a scrumptious dessert recipe from Terri, a Licensed Food for Life Instructor and whole food writer at Eat Plant Based. Vegan Chocolate Cake is a treat too good to pass up. As an added bonus, it's naturally sweet, yet sugar free. 💓
