Looking for an easy and delicious homemade Valentine’s dinner to impress your loved ones? This menu features a vibrant, fresh starter, a sophisticated main course paired with delightful homemade bread, and an indulgent chocolate dessert to end on a sweet note. Whether you’re planning a romantic date night or a cosy family gathering, these recipes will make your Valentine’s celebration truly special.
In our house, Valentine’s Day has never been a big thing. However, in recent years I have used it as an excuse to have a bit of a celebration as a family. I love cooking up a special meal for my family, especially on a weeknight when they’re not really expecting it! We light candles, sit down together and celebrate this day dedicated to love.
Now when I say a special meal, I don’t mean a complicated one! There’s no way I would have time on a weekday to spend hours in the kitchen! The meal I thought up this year is very simple, with only a little preparation time for each element. You have to be a bit organised to get the bread made, but even that recipe is not a difficult one!
Take a look at this week’s video showing just how I made this delicious meal.
Easy and Delicious Homemade Valentine’s Dinner
I decided not to go with a starter per se this year, instead I made a salad that can be served alongside the salmon or beforehand, it’s up to you!
- Baby Spinach Salad with Clementines, Almonds and Dried Cranberries served with an Apple Cidre Vinegar and Herb Dressing.
- Baked Salmon on a Bed of Vegetables.
- Simple Sourdough Focaccia Garlic Bread
- Gooey Chocolate Cake topped with Raspberries with a Raspberry Coulis
Easy and Delicious Homemade Valentine’s Dinner Recipes
As you will see, these recipes are not complicated. All it takes is a little bit of organisation and you can get a delicious meal on the table in a fairly short amount of time!
The recipes for this meal serve 4-6 people depending on appetite.
Baby Spinach Salad with Clementines, Almonds and Dried Cranberries
Ingredients:
- 1 small packet of baby spinach (150g), washed and dried
- 1 clementine, peeled and separated into pieces
- A small handful of almonds (you can roast them if you like)
- 1-2 tbsp dried cranberries
- A sprinkle of seed mixture (sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, black sesame…) if desired
Place the spinach in the bottom of your favourite salad bowl and arrange the rest of the ingredients on top. The vibrant colours of this salad are perfect for any celebration!
I prefer to add the salad dressing to individual portions on plates so that I can enjoy the salad the next day if there is any left.
Apple Cidre Vinegar and Herb Salad Dressing
This will make quite a large amount (a lot more than is necessary for this salad) but it keeps in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Ingredients:
- 65 ml rapeseed (canola) oil (I like to use cold-pressed)
- 125 ml avocado oil (or another neutral flavoured oil)
- 2-3 tbsp apple cidre vinegar (depending on how acidic you like your salad dressing)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence
- 1/2 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients together in a jar. I prefer to start mixing with a fork, then I screw the lid on tightly and shake the jar until everything is well mixed.
Drizzle on top of any salad you like.
Baked Salmon on a Bed of Leeks and Carrots
This is one of my favourite ‘special’ recipes. We don’t eat it often, but when we do it brings a smile to everyone’s face!
I will hopefully have a full blog post for this recipe soon, but in the mean time, here is the quick version.
Ingredients:
- 1 piece of salmon per person (around 150g each)
- 3 medium leeks
- 6 medium carrots
- 125 ml white wine (or fish stock, or chicken stock)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lemon cut into slices
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.
Remove the tough green of the leeks (you can keep this to add to bone broth), cut in half lengthways and remove the outer layer. Wash thoroughly. Cut the leek lengthways again and then into 3-4 pieces (about 4-5 cm long).
Peel the carrots and cut into 4-5 cm sticks. Make the sticks quite thin if you prefer your carrots to be very soft when cooked.
Heat the olive oil in an oven proof pan (a cast iron pan, for example) and add the leeks, fry gently until softened. Add the carrots and continue frying gently for about 10 mins. If you would like your carrots to be soft, continue frying for longer. I like them to have a little bit of a bite to them.
Add 1 tsp salt and some black pepper, then pour in the wine or stock. Place the salmon pieces on top. Sprinkle the salmon with some more salt (about 1 tsp more in total) and black pepper. Top each piece of salmon with a slice of lemon.
Cover the pan with aluminium foil and bake in the oven at 180°C for 20mins. If your pieces of salmon are smaller, you may need to reduce the cooking time.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
If you prefer not to serve with bread, rice or new (small) potatoes also go very well with this dish.
Simple Sourdough Focaccia Garlic Bread
This is my new favourite speciality bread recipe. It is so easy to make and incredibly delicious too!
Get the recipe here!
Decadent Chocolate Cake
This recipe is based on my Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Cake. The only changes I have made is to use real butter instead of vegan butter and all-purpose flour instead of gluten free. Other than that the recipe remains exactly the same – easy!
Just be careful about the chocolate you use as this will really affect the taste of your finished cake. Make sure you buy a good quality chocolate with a high cocoa solids content.
Raspberry Coulis
This recipe is one I made up on the fly! I blended 200g of frozen raspberries with 100g of honey, passed them through a sieve and… voilà! Perfectly sweet raspberry sorbet that my boys who are on the gaps diet can enjoy!
So, there you are, a delicious homemade feast that you and your loved ones can enjoy this Valentine’s Day. Will you give any of these recipes a go? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to take a photo and tag me on Social Media @candleinthekitchen. I love to see your creations!
And don’t forget to watch the full video !
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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