| Love At First Bite: Valentine's Day Recipes to Whet Your Appetite By: Megan Gearheart No matter your plans for Valentine’s Day—a party with friends, a romantic table for two, or even a girls night in— food plays an essential role in the festivities. According to Seira Koski a student at the Natural Gourmet Institute of New York City, appetizers can either make or break a meal, "You can set the tone of the meal to follow or the atmo- sphere of the party with the first bite," she says. Koski believes that when planning a celebration for Valentine’s Day –either a party for friends or a dinner for loved ones—appetizers can be a great way to begin. “What’s nice about hors d’oeuvres is that you can serve a variety and please many different palates.” Olivia Roscoski, also a student at the Natural Gourmet Institute adds, “finger foods or the first course at a party can kick off the evening just right. The fact that you can eat them standing up, sitting down, with plates or without encourages circulation and socialization in a group setting. Who knows, you can be headed for the stuffed mushrooms and strike up a conversation with someone new!” Below are three appetizers suggested by Koski and Roscoski to serve at the beginning of a romantic Valentine’s Day meal or festive party. Stuffed Mushrooms Ingredients · 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained · 1 (14-ounce) package large, stuffing-size mushrooms (approx. 9 mushrooms) · 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled · 1 can black olives, drained and diced · 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped · 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling · Salt and pepper, to taste Cooking Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a small frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is heated through and the garlic is evenly distributed. Remove from heat. Allow spinach to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach with the feta. Add diced olives Remove the stems from the mushrooms (if present). Stuff each mushroom with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Place the mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and darker in color. Drizzle oil over finished mushrooms as garnish. Serve and enjoy! Baked Brie with Apricot Ingredients: 1 wheel of 8oz Brie Cheese 1 egg white 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed 3 TBSP apricot preserves Cooking Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees Lightly grease cookie sheet Slice the wheel of brie in half so you have 2 circles of cheese Spread apricot or peach preserves on the cut side Make a sandwich out of the two halves so the preserves are in the center Wrap the entire wheel of brie with one sheet of puffed pastry and flip the folded side down Brush pastry with egg white Bake 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown Serve Immediately Red Pepper Hummus Ingredients: Garbanzo Beans, drain and rinse - 2 cans Parsley - 2 tablespoons Garlic - 2 cloves Red pepper-whole, seeds removed Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon Honey - 1 tablespoon Oil - 1/3 cup Salt and Pepper - to taste Directions: Add all ingredients to food processor. Blend until smooth. Serving suggestions: pretzels, pita chips, or raw veggies |
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