February is all about hearts and loving but also American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day. Show your valentines you really care about their heart with meals that makes their heart stronger and healthier.

Helpful Heart Facts: Your heart is a muscle that needs exercise to keep it strong. A heart healthy diet helps to reduce risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Keep in mind that heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the USA especially in women.                    

Keep a strong and healthy heart by eating more omega-3 rich foods such as fish, nuts, and plant-based oils. Add more fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens to your meals and top it off with at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity daily (like walking).

Now, for a Valentine celebration, start with a glass of red wine and tomato basil bruschetta. A glass of red wine (only one, please) has compounds associated with reducing the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes and olive oil give you lycopene, a natural antioxidant that reduces inflammation, and has healthy fat that helps lower cholesterol. Healthy is wonderful, but delicious and quick is even better (See recipe below).

For the main course skip the red meat. Serve chicken or fish with heart healthy green vegetables like spinach, kale, or broccoli.  Broil, bake or steam the chicken or fish and the vegetables.  For dessert, Chocolate for Valentine’s Day, of course. Impress your loved one with moist chocolate cake made with zucchini. So delicious it is hard to believe that this cake is loaded with healthy antioxidants that help prevent damage to the blood vessels. You won’t taste the zucchini, we promise.

We wish you love and hope you enjoy our delicious ways to get a healthy heart for longer love.

Delight in Every Bite

Recipe: Zucchini Chocolate cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate

• ½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil

• ½ cup butter (one stick)

• 2 cups sugar

• 3 eggs beaten

• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

• 2 cups flour

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup sour cream or buttermilk

• 3 cups peeled, coarsely grated zucchini (about 3 zucchini)

• ½ cup of chopped nuts (optional)

TO MAKE:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees

• Melt chocolate and oil together in a saucepan on low heat or in the microwave

• Cream butter until light and fluffy

• Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. BEAT WELL

• Add melted chocolate and mix well

• Sift together dry ingredients and stir in, alternating with sour cream or buttermilk

• Add zucchini and nuts

• Pour into lightly greased and floured two 9” cake pans or  a 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan

• Bake for 40 minutes.  NOTE: Check at 35 minutes, best if cake feels a little sticky.

tips: a valetine feast

BRUSCHETTA:

• 2 fresh tomatoes. Roma are the best right now

• ½ onion

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 1 bunch of fresh basil

• 4 Tablespoons of olive oil

• Loaf of Italian bread

• Dice the tomato, onion, garlic and basil.  Mix together with olive oil.  Cut the bread into ¼ inch thick slices and toast. Heap as much of the tomato mixture as you want on each slice of toast.  In a hurry, use chunky salsa as the tomato mixture

FOR CAKE:

Zucchini should be cut into fine pieces.  If you don’t have a grater, you can use a veggie peeler and then chop the slices into small pieces. The small pieces make the zucchini “disappear” into the cake.

CAKE TOPPING:

• Top with berries or fruit instead of frosting

• Lightly sprinkle with powder sugar

• Serve with low-fat ice cream. Vanilla ice cream works well

• Cream Cheese Frosting: If you must have frosting: Beat together 4 ounces of cream cheese,2 Tablespoons of melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 cups powdered sugar.