JANUARY/FEBRUARY - 2012

Closer To The Heart
Keep your resolution for better health and better eating

By Carol Ritchie

The New Year rings in resolutions of better health and better eating. With this - and the soon-to-be-celebrated Valentine’s Day - in mind, a complete meal with sweet-health and sweet-hearts is apropos. But can a meal be healthful, delicious and elegant all at the same time? Of course! Here’s the solution: Keep it simple and keep it fresh. Here’s a wonderful, easy and elegant “surf and turf” dinner for two that you won’t feel at all guilty about indulging.

One of the key elements to this delectable dinner is the art of roasting. Winter months often inspire many roasted dishes since a hot oven is the required appliance for preparation. The dry heat of oven roasting causes many foods to caramelize, bringing forth flavors that enhance and intensify the natural goodness of the ingredients. A perfect example and the place to start is the sweet potato.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce two small sweet potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly while roasting asparagus and shrimp (see below). Slice sweet potatoes down the middle to serve with your sweetheart meal.

Roasted Asparagus & Shrimp
Toss about 16 thin spears of asparagus and 6 large peeled and deveined shrimp (tails intact for presentation, if desired) in a mixture of 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place the asparagus and shrimp on a nonstick baking sheet and with the oven at 400°F (from roasting the sweet potatoes), roast for 3 to 5 minutes, until asparagus is tender-crisp. Remove asparagus and return shrimp to oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until cooked through. You may opt to skewer the shrimp (3 per skewer) for an elegant presentation.

Rosemary-Dijon Beef Fillets with Red Pepper Sauce
The color red is symbolic of love and Valentine’s Day and is a perfect choice for the color of sauce to complement terrific tenderloin of beef steaks. Roasted red bell peppers lend to this nicely. The beef is nicely seasoned with Dijon mustard and rosemary, a fragrant fresh herb often used as a symbol of remembrance. The beef tenderloin is a very lean cut of meat and a good heart-healthy choice, not to mention delectably delicious! (When cut into steaks, it is known as beef fillets, or often filet mignon.) The roasted red pepper sauce complements the seasoned fillets to round out this surf-and-turf meal. (See the full recipe that accompanies this article.)

Strawberry Finale
But we’re not done! What about dessert? Chocolate is wonderful, but it’s easy to overdo, especially when you’re trying to keep to a healthy regimen diet. Keep it simply delicious with just enough chocolate to satisfy. Here’s a quick and easy twist on the traditional chocolate-covered strawberry. Simply place 1 cup of sliced strawberries in two decorative serving bowls. Using a cheese grater or microplane gadget, grate two (yes, only two!—one per serving) dark chocolate kisses over the strawberries and enjoy!

Closer To The Heart
This meal is well-suited as an elegant dinner for two, or simply as part of a weekly dining routine. In moderation, it consists of healthful choices and is well balanced with meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit and even dark chocolate. This is certainly enough to satisfy, however, you could add a small serving of brown rice and/or a whole-grain roll for added nutrients, textures and flavors.

Yes, Valentine’s Day is a day to splurge, a day for indulgence. But there’s no reason to indulge in unhealthy foods unnecessarily when you have options like this easy, elegant, delicious dinner prepared in your own kitchen. You can enjoy fantastic food at home with your loved one and feel pleased that you have not strayed from your New Year’s resolution to eat well and be well in 2012. Keep it closer to the heart—eat and enjoy with two hearts in mind—heart health and sweetheart.