Heart

Today is Valentine's Day. My thoughts on this holiday? Meh. Not because I don't have love in my life - I have lots and lots of it - but because I don't need a special day to express this love, nor do I expect anything out of the ordinary just because it is a date on the calendar. Maybe I'm the Grinch who stole Valentine's Day?

One of the ways I try to show my family how much I care for them is by cooking healthy foods that will benefit all of us in the long run. Mostly because I want all of us to be around for a very long time to make each other crazy!

So, in the spirit of today's big love-fest (and to keep the blog entertaining), I tried to select one of the heart-healthiest meals I could find. Side note - this is from my other NEW COOKBOOK that I ordered last week. Let's all give a heartfelt (haha) woot woot!

Honey and Sesame-Glazed Salmon with Confetti Barley Salad
Source: The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook, by Ellen Kunes and Frances Largeman-Roth (Health magazine)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. pearl barley
• 1 (16oz) bag frozen veggies, thawed and chopped
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (skip - ran out)
• 4 (4oz) skinless salmon fillets
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 c. chopped scallions

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of (salted) water to a boil. Add barley, return to a boil and boil until tender, 30 mins. Add veggies during the last 3 mins of cooking. Drain, cool slightly and toss w/ 2 tsp sesame seeds. Set aside.
• While barley is cooking, make salmon: Combine honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili flakes. Reserve 4 tbsp of mixture. Place salmon on a baking sheet and brush with soy mixture. Bake until flaky, approx. 15 mins. Place reserved sauce in a small saucepan over low heat and keep warm.
• Divide barley mixture among 4 plates, top with 1 salmon fillet and 1 tbsp warmed sauce. Sprinkle with salmon and remaining sesame seeds.

Yield: 4 servings (1 c. barley mix, 4oz salmon and 1 tbsp additional sauce)
Per serving: 435 cals; 6.8g fat (sat: 0.5g, mono 2.2g, poly 2.9g); choles: 72mg; protein: 33g; carbs: 53g; fiber: 9g; sodium: 615mg

Heart healthy ingredients: Salmon, broccoli (in veggie mix), carrots (in veggie mix), barley; red pepper

Broccoli!

I also decided to make my family dessert tonight. Mostly because I pulled this cute-looking recipe a couple of months ago and thought it would make the kid happy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Source: Weight Watchers Magazine, Jan/Feb 2012

Peeps - not even going to bother typing this one it. It wasn't good. And I KNOW for a fact it was not chef error b/c while I might not be the most adept at stuff like pan-searing, I can bake without screwing it up. Blech. These had very little flavor and all I tasted was the whole-wheat flour. On the bright side, they did turn out kind of cute:

Don't let the cute little heart fool you.

Reviews:
(Review of main event only) I subscribe to Health magazine, and they've really been pushing this cookbook. So I decided to give in and buy it and I'm not disappointed with its first outing. The directions were easy to follow and it was perfect for a weeknight meal. I liked prepping the salmon while the barley was cooking. The dish was good - maybe a bit more crushed red pepper next time for some additional kick - and I am looking forward to using this cookbook again.

Ranking:
Three Forks

Duh