Love and fresh-baked pizza is in the air. Valentine’s Day reminds us all to dote on our loved ones just a little bit extra. This year, skip the traffic, hard-to-get reservations, and prefixed prices and make a memorable meal to enjoy in your own backyard.
Crave and Cook blogger Virginie Degryse walks us through three flavorful and easy-to-make recipes for a romantic dinner (and dessert) in your backyard.
Tomato Soup
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
This deep red tomato soup is perfect for Valentine’s Day. I usually drink my soup in a mug which makes it easy to take outside.
It’s also a breeze to make and you most likely have all the ingredients already in your pantry. Goes great with crispy quinoa, grilled cheese, or mini meatballs too.
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 large can of tomatoes
2-3 cups of veggie or chicken stock
A bunch of basil
Salt and pepper
In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic with 2 tbsp. of olive oil for a few minutes. Once fragrant, add the tomatoes, chicken stock, basil, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Put it in blender, et voila!
Cauliflower Greek Pizza
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes: 1 pizza
This cauliflower greek pizza is great for easy outdoor dining. Using a cauliflower crust makes it super healthy, delicious and different.
I use store-bought cauliflower pizza crust, so the only thing to do here is some chopping and assembling. This dish is as easy as it sounds, and really yummy. If you don't like cauliflower, feel free to use flat bread, lavash or actual pizza crust; I am sure it will be equally delicious.
1 cauliflower crust (store bought)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
5-7 slices of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of crumbled feta
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 of cherry tomatoes, cut into 2
1/4 cup of olives
1/2 tsp of dried oregano
A bunch of freshly chopped basil
Pre-bake the crust according to packaging instructions (this step will ensure that the crust is super crispy, which I love).
Add all the toppings except the basil on the base, starting with the mozzarella, and finishing with oregano.
Bake in a hot oven at 475-500 degrees for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and everything is charred a little. Finish the pizza with fresh basil and enjoy!
Avocado Brownies
Cook time: 50 minutes
Makes: 1 sheet of brownies
Finally, avocado brownies for Valentine’s Day is my kids’ new favorite. The beauty of this one is you put all the ingredients in a food processor pulse, bake, and then you’re done!
1 avocado
2 eggs
1/3 coconut sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup
3 tbsp of butter (melted)
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1/2 cup almond meal
1 tbsp of espresso powder
1 tsp of baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and nicely combined. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until you can poke a knife through and it comes out clean.