Valentine's Day Recipes: How to Make Your Favorite Foods Red or Pink

One way to make Valentine's Day special is by having a meal that consists mainly of red and pink foods. While at first this might sound difficult to do, once you start thinking about your favorite meals, incorporating some new recipes, and using a bit of imagination, you'll find that you can create some of your favorite dishes in red or pink. Following are some menu suggestions and recipes you may find helpful to get you started.

Begin your meal with a sweet or savory soup. Tomato soup, watermelon soup, red bean soup, red pepper soup, or borscht are all wonderfully red or pink soups you can make at home. Simply choose your favorite from the list. Need another idea? How about a lightly sweet, easy to make strawberry soup that even the kids while find irresistible? Here is one recipe for strawberry soup.

Strawberry Soup

Ingredients:
2 pints strawberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender. Puree until well mixed. Chill and serve.

For the next course, go with a salad. Some red or pink salad options include beet salad, red cabbage salad, and red potato salad. Following are two more recipes: one for a savory Red Salad; the second for a just-sweet-enough Pink Salad.

Red Salad

Ingredients:
1 small head of red cabbage, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
15 radishes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups red grapes
2 cups red kidney beans
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Toss all the ingredients together in a large glass bowl. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pink Salad

Ingredients:
2 packages raspberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1- 1/2 cup whipping cream
6 ounces cream cheese
2 cups drained crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix gelatin and boiling water. Let stand to cool. Add whipped cream and cream cheese and blend well. Mix in pineapple and nuts. Refrigerate until set.

Now on to your main course. The ideas here are nearly endless. Is your sweetheart a seafood lover? Consider succulent red and white snow crab legs. Are you serving dinner to a meat-and-potatoes fanatic? Dish up a nice pink rare steak and red-skinned new potatoes. Ethnic foods are another option. Cheese stuffed manicotti with a flavorful red marinara is sure to please, as is a plate full of enchiladas with red chile sauce. Still can't decide? Here's a spicy, delicious recipe you might want to try.

Valentine Spareribs

Ingredients:
5 pounds pork spareribs cut into 2 rib portions
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Pour oil in pan. Mix flour and salt. Dredge ribs in flour/salt mixture. Brown ribs well in pan over medium heat.

Place ribs in baking dish. Combine ginger, garlic, soy sauce and lemon juice and pour over ribs. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours, basting frequently. Uncover and bake or broil a few minutes longer to crisp the ribs.

Round out your meal with a red or pink beverage. A glass or bottle of red or rosé wine will lend an elegant touch, and there are various red or pink cocktails you can create. But you aren't limited to alcoholic beverages. Pink lemonade, cranberry juice mixed with sparkling water, or even a strawberry shake might fill the bill.

Finally, finish your delightfully red and pink Valentine's Day meal with a sweet dessert. This is where the choices are really plentiful! A cherry or strawberry cheesecake is always an appreciated treat. Some other ideal delights include red velvet cake, angel food cake topped with berries and whipped cream, or strawberry shortcake. If you are looking for something light and refreshing after your decadent Valentine's Day meal, try this delicate granita.

Valentine's Day Granita

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) package frozen raspberries
1 mango, peeled, seeded and chopped
Fresh raspberries to serve, if desired

Directions:
Dissolve sugar in water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add frozen raspberries and mango. Pour into a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a 13"x9" baking dish and freeze for one to two hours until mixture is slushy and nearly frozen. Stir well, being sure to scrape the sides of the pan.

Spread mixture to evenly cover the bottom of pan and freeze overnight. To serve, let stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Scoop into dessert dishes and garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.