Though Valentine’s Day is notoriously a day for chocolate kisses and candy hearts, I like to treat it as a time to eat heart-healthy and heart-themed foods, like the spinach and artichoke hearts in these two single-serving dishes.The artichoke is extremely simple to make and deliciously fun to eat as an appetizer, especially with dinner guests. And the spinach and portobello dish presents various serving options — as an appetizer with baby portobellos, as a vegetarian entree with full-sized portobellos, or, you can even substitute a 6 oz filet mignon for the mushroom to add some real iron power.

Artichokes are such beautiful vegetables, their petals budding open when steamed like a lotus flower. Each petal can be plucked from the base and eaten by placing the end between your teeth and sliding it outward to leave the “meat” on your tongue. The meat is soft, almost silky on your tongue. Eat it slowly as an appetizer with lemon-chive aioli, savoring each bite before moving on to your heart-healthy entree.

Although red meat isn’t always considered healthy, I firmly believe it’s good to eat it once a week as a good source of iron. Top it with earthy green spinach complemented with goat cheese and roasted red pepper, and you have an elegant meal to boot. I admit that I wrapped this in bacon, but honestly, I like it better without it. What? I thought everything was better with bacon! In this case, it’s just too much flavor going on. Sorry bacon lovers!

Another option is to substitute the filet with a portobella mushroom cap. Marinated in high-quality balsamic vinegar, lemon, garlic, chives, and olive oil, even your carnivorous date won’t be able to resist this vegetarian specialty. I love to drizzle the sweet balsamic au jus over the mushroom to sop up with crusty bread.

Recipe: Steamed artichoke with lemon-chive aioli

1 artichoke
1 lemon, halved
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chives, minced

Trim the top off of the artichoke, and cut off the tip of the end. With scissors, trim the very tips off of the outer petals. Wash and dry. Squeeze lemon juice over artichoke, and rub with garlic. Tuck pieces of crushed garlic between the petals. Sprinkle with salt.

In a medium steamer pot, boil water with peppercorns and the rind of the lemon you used for the artichoke. Place the artichoke in the steamer basket and cover. Steam for 40 to 45 minutes, checking the water half-way through and adding more if needed (it can burn the pan if you run out of water). Periodically turn the artichoke, rub it with lemon, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt until done.

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise through chives in a small bowl to make the aioli.

When artichoke is tender, remove from steamer, cut off the stem and place in a serving dish, petals facing up. You can eat or serve the stem; it is very tender and tasty. Serve with aioli.

Recipe: Balsamic portobella cap topped with sauteed spinach, goat cheese, and roasted red pepper
Serves one

1 portobella mushroom, stem trimmed and washed
1 Tbsp high-quality aged balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh chives, minced
1 cup fresh spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp goat cheese (chevre)
1 Tbsp roasted red bell pepper (about 1/4 of a small pepper)
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Place portobella in a plastic, zip-top bag. Combine balsamic vinegar through lemon juice in a small bowl. In a small skillet, heat the 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add minced the one garlic clove, and sautee for about 1 minute. Add to vinegar mixture. Whisk together, and pour into plastic bag with the portobella. Seal and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, if you’re not using jarred roasted red pepper, cut and core your pepper, wash out the seeds, and place skin-side up on the pan for a toaster oven. Press pepper down to flatten. Broil the pepper for about 5 to 10 minutes in the toaster oven, then place in a zip-top plastic bag and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Remove from the bag and peel off the skin. It should pull off easily. Dice into small pieces.

Once your mushroom has marinated, broil it for about 6 to 10 minutes, stem-side up. Meanwhile heat the 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the 1 clove minced garlic, and sautee for about 1 minute. Add spinach and sautee until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove portobella from toaster oven and top with spinach, then crumbled goat cheese, then roasted red pepper. Top with grated Parmesan. Place back in the broiler for 1 minute or until cheese begins to melt. Serve immediately.

Filet mignon variation

Instead of using the portobella mushroom cap, sprinkle a 6 oz filet mignon with salt and pepper, and grill to the temperature of your choice. Top with sauteed spinach, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and Parmesan cheese as directed above. Place in broiler for 1 minute to melt cheese before serving.

For dessert, try my mini chocolate pudding cakes or chocolate, plain and simple.