This Valentines give a nourishing gift you made to the ones you love.

Cooking nourishing food is one of the greatest acts of LOVE & practising self-love & self-care.  

This weeks menu is curated to help you celebrate with nourishing seasonal foods and adaptable recipes to suit different diet styles and health goals. Not everyone loves chocolate and can eat all the things ~ we honour that here at Botanical Kitchen & LOVE to help you eat to thrive.

Recipe Notes

• SWEET POTATO & KALE FRITTERS w/ Watermelon Radish Salad ~ Seasonal veggie fritters with grated sweet potato, kale and herbs in a blended oat batter. Served with watermelon radish and pea sprout salad.
  
  
• SMASHED RASPBERRY COCONUT SALAD with Cacao & Puffed Quinoa ~ This dessert, breakfast or snack has good chewy, crunchy textures and fermented foods with beneficial probiotics and prebiotic fibre; it is a satisfying and straightforward recipe.

  Choose plain plant-based or dairy yoghurt as you like; be sure it’s plain with no added sugar, chemicals etc.

   
•  GREEN HUMMUS + WATERMELON RADISH CRACKERS ~ Seasonal, affordable, sensible whole food snack ~ I am all about nourishing, not punishing & cooking as an act of self-care & love! This little snack is very nutrient-dense and full of seasonal goodness!

  Parsley is a mineral-rich affordable, and sustainable superfood….. if you don’t love it, definitely add spices or sauté it first or skip it!

• BAKED PUMPKIN RISOTTO WITH SPINACH Toasted Pumpkin Seeds & Sage ~ An easy grounding and warming baked risotto recipe  –10mins on the stovetop; the oven does the rest. Make it great by using a rich, full-flavoured, dry textured style pumpkin or winter squash like kabocha, buttercup, red Kuri, Hubbard, Japanese, and Queensland blue.  

  Once the risotto is cooked, stir in the spinach greens. Toasted pumpkins seeds + sage leaves in the oven for 8 mins while risotto bakes for a crunchy and savoury garnish.

  I served the risotto with roasted French Onion Beef Sausage for a local gathering of goodness, expertly made at Olde Haven Farm in Chelsea, Maine. Their sausages are phenomenal, possibly among the best in America. I strongly recommend a road trip to seek them out; luckily for us, Olde Haven Farm graces both Portland and Belfast farmers’ markets weekly.

   
• BALSAMIC HERB MARINATED CHICKEN BREAST ~ Grilled Chicken with a Herby Mediterranean vibe; Balsamic Vinegar adds great flavours + acidity, which helps make the chicken tender.

  This recipe can either be grilled or pan-roasted⎯this is my simple everyday method. An easy recipe to make great served with roasted vegetables and quick to make, especially if the oven is on and you just finished baking something fabulous!

   
• RASPBERRY LEMON CASHEW CRÈMES ~ Raspberry & Lemon Cashew Crèmes are luscious, tangy, sweet and creamy with a beautiful smooth texture! Portion into glassware for an elegant dessert or mason jars to lift, carry and share. These little lemon crèmes will impress even the most discerning of dairy lovers.  
  
  
• WHITE CHOCOLATE GOAT CHEESE CHEESECAKE ~ No-Bake with a Gingersnap Crust + Cherry Berry Compote Gingersnaps, goats cheese, yoghurt, and white chocolate pair beautifully to create a light, perfectly balanced cheesecake; cherry-berry compote makes it dance across your palate. 
  
  
• CHOCOLATE PUDDING ~ 3 DIET STYLES You can choose the best recipe style for those you love.

  For the love of chocolate, this pudding is fabulous, swift and simple. A chocolate pudding that feels indulgent, creamy and smooth with a light calorie + sugar count is my gift of intention here.   The yoghurt keeps it light + adds a lovely subtle tang and probiotics for your good health.

  There are 3 different recipes, so you can choose whichever recipe ingredients style best suits your goals & sweeten to your taste.

   

Wish you a week full of nourishing food made with love 💕.
Chef Karina Hines