Is food your love language? Then probably you are thinking of cooking something on your own instead of eating at the same old restaurant this Valentine’s Day. And you would be just right because there is nothing like gifting your loved one a delicious Valentine’s Day Menu on this special occasion.
If you are someone who hates to create a lot of waste while cooking and wants to be a sustainable and responsible chef, we can say confidently, that we have got you covered with this article. We have researched sustainable companies and brought you a really special, easy, delicious, yet sustainable Valentine’s Day menu.
So keep ready to get the ingredients, portions and of course the step by step for these recipes. All you need to do is put on your apron, light some candles, and get ready to indulge in a culinary journey that is sure to make this Valentine’s Day unforgettable.
1 STARTERS for Valentine’s Day: Breaded Tofu
To start our Valentine’s Day Menu, we have selected this amazing Breaded Tofu recipe by Etepetete. We love this company because they have partnered with organic farmers to rescue extravagant-looking fruit and vegetables that would end up in the rubbish and send these from the field to your front door in an organic box.
- Portion – 2 persons
- Preparation time – 20 minutes
- Vegan
- Tip: Serve with Asian cucumber salad and rice.
Ingredients
- 300 g natural tofu
- Sesame oil (for frying)
- 2 spring onions
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- pepper
- 2 tbsp water
- sesame
Preparation
- Cut the tofu into slices approx. 0.5 cm thick and fry on both sides with sesame oil until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside briefly.
- Cut the spring onions into small rings and fry the white part in the pan with sesame oil.
- Meanwhile, chop the garlic into small pieces and mix it with soy sauce, vinegar, agave syrup, chilli, pepper and water.
- Add the tofu to the pan with the spring onions and finally add the sauce. Simmer on low heat for a few minutes until the liquid has boiled away.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and the green part of the spring onions and voila!! your vegan entrée is ready to be enjoyed!
2 MAIN COURSE: Pumpkin Pasta
We love pasta, and who doesn’t, right? especially when it is so creamy and delicious as in this recipe, that we have kindly “stolen” from Hartkorn Spices.
This delicious pumpkin pasta with bacon, sage and freeze-dried ginger will dazzle your loved one with its richness of flavour.
- Portions – 3
- Preparation time – 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried ginger
- 1 teaspoon broth
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 300 grams of whole-wheat pasta
- 2 sprigs of fresh sage
- 150 grams of bacon
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon
How it goes:
- Wash the pumpkin, halve it, remove the seeds and cut it into hazelnut-sized cubes. Peel the onion and garlic clove and cut into cubes. Now put the pumpkin, onion and garlic cubes in a pot with a teaspoon of broth and half a teaspoon of ginger and cover with water. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
- In the meantime, cook the whole wheat pasta according to the package instructions. Cut the bacon into cubes and leave it in a pan without any fat. Once almost crispy, add the sage leaves and remove from the heat.
- When the pumpkin is soft, pour off the broth but reserve it. Put the rest in a blender, add the cream cheese, puree finely and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. If necessary, add a little broth if the sauce is too thick.
- Now pour the sauce over the pasta and serve with bacon and sage as a topping.
3 AND FOR DESSERT: Two Choices for Valentine’s Day Menu
We know you have a sweet tooth, so we have decided to finish our Valentine’s Day menu with 2 alternatives. You can of course prepare both or just go with the one that picks your fancy! Either way, you will love these easy-to-make but impressive Valentine’s Day desserts!
Chocolate mousse with raspberries
Somehow, we cannot think of a romantic dinner without chocolate and berries, so when we saw this gorgeous recipe from Artgerecht, we knew we had to share it with you.
Creamy, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth – this quick no-bake dessert will take you and/or your loved ones to seventh chocolate heaven!
- Portion – 3 persons
- Preparation time – 10 minutes
- Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free
- Waiting period – 2 minutes
Ingredients
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 120 g dates, pitted
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa nibs (chopped cocoa beans)
- 200 g fresh berries
Preparation
- Put coconut milk, dates, cocoa and a small pinch of salt in a tall container and puree with a hand blender for 2-3 minutes until a thick, homogeneous mixture is obtained.
- Then pour into moulds and let cool in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.
- Sort and wash the berries.
- Sprinkle the chocolate mousse with cocoa nibs and serve with the berries.
Fruit salad with Orange Cream
For our second sweet recipe, we have picked this fruity option by Die Scheune Delikatessen. This Germany-based company offers international delicacies from all over the world, sourcing from farm shops and small family businesses so we can taste the flavour of their local craft in our homes. Sounds good?
There are many variations of fruit salad recipes. So the trick is to create something clever and original, as they do with this recipe, particularly characterized by the cream served with the fruit.
Of course, you must combine delicious fruits that go well with each other. How the fruit is cut is also an important factor. The size and shape of the fruit can influence the taste, but also the visual enjoyment. In this fruit salad recipe, we mainly used fresh mango and kiwi. Not only does this bring a cheerful orange and green colour to your table, but they are also very sweet.
Preparation time: 15m
Ingredients
- 4 apples
- 2 Williams pears
- 3 kiwis
- 1 banana
- 1 mango
- 4 tangerines
- Orange cream
- 400 milliliters of cream
- 5 jars of natural tangerine
- orange colouring
- Some roasted cocoa nibs
Instructions
- Wash the fruit and cut into small 1 – 2 cm pieces. When choosing fruit for a good fruit salad recipe, it is important to have a good composition. Hard fruits like apples and pears, soft fruits like banana and mango, sweet fruits like mango and kiwi, and citrus fruits like tangerines.
- Now mix the cream with the orange colouring in a small bowl and beat with a mixer until stiff. Now you have an orange cream that is ideal for decoration. You can add a few roasted cocoa nibs or coffee beans on top to give it a bit of crunch. Your dessert is ready and the simple fruit salad recipe made with lots of love can go to the table!
We are sure that you will find these Valentine’s Day recipes as delicious as romantic, and do not forget that they are environmentally friendly at the same time. So it’s about time that you impress your loved one and make their heart flutter with delight.
If you are looking for some more inspiration, check out our Tips for a Planet-Loving Valentine’s Day and some eco-friendly Gift suggestions.
One last tip! use local, organic and sustainable ingredients whenever possible. You can of course check the ones from our sustainable suppliers at Green Cloud Nine. This will not only make your meal more delicious but also will show some love to our beloved planet!!
Happy sustainable Valentine’s Day!
By Jahnvi Vyas
Hi, I am Jahnvi Vyas. I have a Master’s in environmental science and my love for nature inspires me to be a more sustainable person. I am also an editor with a passion for graphics and video editing trying to learn new things.
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