INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lori Taylor of The Produce Moms demonstrated how to incorporate fresh produce into Valentine’s Day meals and gifts, featuring recipes for breakfast, dessert, and a home-cooked pasta dinner for Feb. 14.
The recipes focused on seasonal strawberries and tomatoes, reflecting a trend toward celebrating Valentine’s Day at home. Taylor presented a “fondue cup” dessert, strawberry ricotta toast, a “dirty soda” beverage, and a gift basket with ingredients for a homemade vodka sauce.
The fondue cup dessert layered brownie bites, sliced strawberries, blueberries and marshmallows in a parfait or cocktail glass, topped with melted chocolate. Strawberries are currently in peak season, and chocolate should be melted slowly in the microwave to prevent burning.
For breakfast, Taylor prepared ricotta toast with buttered bread, ricotta cheese and sliced strawberries drizzled with honey. Children can help arrange the strawberry slices into shapes or smiley faces, and adding lemon zest enhances the flavor.
The “dirty soda” is made by muddling fresh strawberries and adding ginger ale and half-and-half. All produce should be washed under cold running water before use.
For more information and recipe details, visit the following links: Strawberry Fondue Cup, Strawberry Dirty Soda, and Strawberry Ricotta Toast.
The segment also featured a Valentine’s Day gift basket idea with a “pasta night in” theme. The basket includes ingredients for a home-cooked meal, such as pasta, tomato paste, fresh flowers and produce, offering an alternative to dining out while allowing couples to cook together.
The featured dinner recipe was a vodka sauce made with slow-roasted garlic and NatureSweet Glories cherry tomatoes. The sauce is prepared by sautéing diced onion in olive oil, then adding tomato paste, crushed red peppers, heavy cream and a half cup of vodka. Penne noodles are recommended because their hollow shape allows the sauce to fill the pasta.
For more information and recipe details, visit the following link: Build a basket and pasta dish
Full recipes for the vodka sauce and other Valentine’s Day dishes are available on the NatureSweet website and at theproducemoms.com.
Dining and Cooking