As part of my Valentine's gift to my sweetheart was a heart-shaped dinner with the theme of ... you guessed it, love! All of his favourites (well, minus the salad perhaps) pizza, apple crumble and wine.
I did my best to make most of the dinner vegan, about 85% at least (cheese was the exception). This salad was simple, mixed greens, baby tomatoes and heart-shaped carrots and zucchini.
How to: Simply slice the carrot and zucchini in rounds and using a hear-shaped cookie cutter that will fit the size cut out the hearts and add to the top of the salad.
The pizza again was mostly vegan except for the cheese, which he loves (can't really take that away from hi m). The Pizza: tomato sauce, vegan pepperoni "hearts," broccoli pieces and cheddar cheese "hearts."
The heart-shaped cheese and pepperoni was done in the same fashion as the carrots and zucchini.
For dessert - his favourite - apple crumble (vegan).
I found the recipe online and tweaked it a bit for our liking. It was the best vegan apple crumble I've made yet and of course, baked in a heart-shaped dish.
Vegan Oatmeal Apple Crumble
Note: I made half of what each ingredient called for, to make just enough for two of us.
- 4 medium baking apples, chopped (skin left on)
- 3 tbsp organic cane sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 - 4 tbsp filtered water
- 3 tbsp orange zest
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, at room temperature
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Lightly grease your baking pan of choice.
4. Add the orange zest, mix it in and set aside.
5. Combine 1/3 cup of sugar, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, mixing together well.
6. Add the the vegan butter and stir well to combine.
7. Spread half of the oatmeal mixture to form a thin layer on the bottom of the baking pan. Add the cooked apples, then add the rest of the oatmeal mixture on top, being sure to cover all the apples.
8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, depending on your dish.*
*Darker dishes take less time to cook, the lighter the dish the more time it needs to cook.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥