Easy At Home Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas | Herbal Goodness

A healthy Valentine's dinner is a touching, creative way to celebrate your love for your partner. Prepare a delicious Valentine's dinner for two and you could send a clear message to your partner that you treasure him and appreciate the joy that he brings to your life.

How can a romantic, healthy Valentine's dinner pull this off, you may ask? Consider the importance that food plays in your life. The relationship between love and food is part of the earliest, love-based relationship that you know, the relationship between your mom and you. ¹

 Romance, Love, and Food Connection

It's this connection between love and food that can make easy Valentine's dinner ideas at home effective. So, if you're looking for a way to treat those you love to a gift that has a lasting impact, consider a healthy Valentine's dinner. Top it off with roses and balloons and you could enjoy a winning, romantic evening. Here are Valentine's dinner ideas and Valentine's dinner recipes that both you and your partner may love.

 Easy Homemade Valentine's Day Dinner Recipes

Set aside 40 minutes to an hour to comfortably prepare this first meal. This is the first of two homemade Valentine's Day dinner recipes that are healthy, easy to make and delicious.

Shrimp Scampi with a Side of Papaya Vinaigrette

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients that you'll need are 1.5 pounds of shelled shrimp (go with extra large shrimp if you and your partner are shrimp lovers). You'll also need 1 pound of linguine, 2 whole red potatoes, 1 lemon, ground pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of white wine and four tablespoons of margarine. ²

1. Sautee shrimp in olive oil. Brown to your liking.
2. Boil linguini in 6 quarts of water for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender (but, not soft)
3. Drain linguini
4. Boil red potatoes until tender. Let cool then, peel.
5. Slice peeled potatoes into six parts, making a total 12 cuts
6. Chop the three garlic gloves
7. Blend linguini, potatoes, shrimp, white wine, garlic gloves and margarine in a skillet for two minutes
8. Season with ground pepper and lemon juice

 While your linguini is cooking, prepare the papaya vinaigrette. It takes less than 7 minutes to prepare. Ingredients that you need for the papaya vinaigrette are a blender, 1/2 cup chopped fresh papaya, 4 teaspoons of papaya seeds, ginger seasoning, ground pepper, salt, 5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon mustard and olive oil.³

 Mix the fresh papaya and papaya seeds in a blender. After the papaya is well blended, mix in ginger, mustard, vinegar, ground pepper and salt. Lastly, blend in olive oil. Layer papaya vinaigrette over fresh lettuce or fresh kale leaves. Enjoy!

Bamboo Leaves Rice Dumplings Recipe

Serves 8 to 10

 To prepare this bamboo leaves rice dumplings simple Valentine's dinner, you'll need a pressure cooker, 3 cups of dried bamboo leaves, 4 cups of rice, salt, fresh ground pepper, 1 fresh onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup of mushrooms, 1 cup red wine, 2 pounds pork shoulder, 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce, two tablespoons of ground ginger and cooking string. ⁴

After you gather all of the ingredients:

 Soak bamboo leaves in a pot of cold water for two days.

1. Then, chop and cook pork shoulder, season with salt and pepper
2. Add red wine and ground ginger to cooked pork shoulder, cover and let blend
3. Slice and sauté onion, mushrooms, soy sauce and garlic cloves in a skillet
4. Cook rice until mildly tender. Do not overcook.
5. Drain bamboo leaves
6. Fill bamboo leaves with rice, pork shoulder, onion mushrooms, soy sauce and garlic clove mixture
7. Close bamboo leaves around the mixture and tie
8. Place the filled bamboo leaves in pressure cooker
9. Cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes
10. Enjoy with a relaxing cup of Guava Leaf Tea.

Valentine's Day is a time when millions turn to traditional and creative ways to express their love. If you're looking for ways to show your love for your partner, an easy Valentine's dinner is a great start. Even better, these recipes give you the option to cook a homemade and healthy Valentine's dinner.

Light candles, toast your romance with a glass of wine, roses and a natural, healthy homemade meal. Make your Valentine's day special with Herbal Goodness food products. Toast your romantic life! Gift your loved one a Herbal Goodness Gift Card and spice up your Valentine's Day dinner with healthy, natural ingredients.

Related: Health Guide: Healthy People 2020 Goals and Objectives | Herbal Goodness

If you enjoyed reading this article, you will also enjoy reading Bamboo Leaves Benefits: How To Get Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails.

References:

1.  National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3907771/. Published Online January 31, 2014. Accessed February 7, 2020.

2.  Food Network. Shrimp Scampi with Linguini. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/shrimp-scampi-with-linguini-recipe-1942429. Accessed on February 7, 2020.

3. Kitchen Confidante. Papaya Seed Vinaigrette Dressing. https://kitchenconfidante.com/papaya-seed-vinaigrette-dressing-recipe. Accessed February 7, 2020

4. Saveur. Chinese Sticky Rice Dumplings. https://www.saveur.com/zongzi-chinese-sticky-rice-dumpling-recipe/. Published May 11, 2017. Accessed February 7, 2020.