'Hearty' Treats!

Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to create 'hearty', healthy, decorative and festive treats for your loved ones.

Below are some fun and easy ideas I've used...

Now is a perfect time to purchase these tools since hearts are everywhere, in every shape and form - Heart shaped cookie cutters and heart shaped ice cube trays.

Find a heart shaped cake mold and try the following:

Cook couscous, quinoa or any grain you want. Make sure it's moist and not dry. Pack it into the cake mold and then put a big flat plate over it and turn it upside down to transfer. Tap a few times in case it sticks and very gently and carefully lift up and your heart shape will pop out like a sandcastle ready to decorate.

Put a heart cookie cutter on top and pour tomato sauce in, lift and you have a beautiful creation. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Slice like pie since it might break up using a spoon and supply extra sauce or dressing.

Spread tomato sauce over the top, put olives in a heart shape cookie cutter, lift, and voila! Decorate with chick peas all around to make a lovely dinner table centerpiece.

Another cute idea using the smaller cookie cutter.

Make a very fine chopped salad with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers and pack it into the heart shaped mold. Turn it over and transfer onto a flat plate. Then lift and add extra tomatoes around the edges to frame the heart shape and create a healthy and beautiful masterpiece!

Make the nut ball mixture (a recipe you can read in a previous blog post) and pack into the heart shaped ice cube tray. Freeze for an hour, then push out, serve in mini cupcake papers and enjoy.

Make heart shaped orange juice ice cubes and serve with champagne for Mimosas!

or cool your champagne with frozen strawberries, whole or half.

Use large cookie cutters to create Heart Shaped Sandwiches & Heart Shaped Pancakes.

Hope you enjoy creating your own

beautiful heart shaped treats.

Wishing you lots of good eatin' & lovin' !