Red colours are not just warm colours. They are very powerful, the colour of love! If you want to surprise the love of your life with a romantic vegan dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day, try my lovely three-course menu, which I created for you. All the recipes serve two, perfect for an intimate dinner with your loved one.

BEETROOT CARPACCIO

Ingredients:

• 2 cooked beetroots

• Olive oil
• Lemon or balsamic
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper

Cut the beetroots into very thin slices and arrange these in the shape of a heart. Marinate the beetroot carpaccio with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon or balsamic and some parsley.

SEITAN STEW

Seitan is a plant-based meat substitute made out of wheat gluten. It’s made by rinsing prepared wheat dough to remove the starch, leaving a sticky mass of protein that can be flavoured, cooked, and used in a number of dishes.

Ingredients:

• 200g seitan (you can buy at natural food shops or Intermarché)

• 2 medium size carrots
• I cup of frozen peas
• 1 red onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp of vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Chop one onion and the garlic. Cut the seitan and carrots into small cubes, take the peas out of the freezer and put them into a cup. Put all the spices you need for the stew aside and open the tomato sauce can.

Cooking:

Pour a little olive oil into a pan, fry the seitan briefly, and then remove it. Fry the onions, then add the tomato paste. Mix in the garlic, paprika powder and cumin while stirring. Next, add the tomatoes with their juice, carrots and vegetable broth powder, cover the pot and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, adding the peas just before the carrots are cooked. Finally, add the seitan and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as you wish.

RED CABBAGE

Ingredients:

• ½ small red cabbage

• 2 red onions
• 1 apple
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• 100 ml red wine
• 100ml water
• 1 tsp vegetable broth powder
• 2 bayleaves
• ¼ tsp caraway seed
• 5 cloves
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cut the red cabbage in two halves, then trim it into very thin slices, then put them in a bowl with water and wash them thoroughly. Chop one onion and cut the apple into small cubes, then remove the skin of the second onion and stick five cloves in it and put aside. Rinse the red cabbage and get all the spices ready.

Cooking:

Place a pot on the stove, add sunflower oil and fry the onions until translucent, then add the apple and stir fry for two minutes. Next, add the red cabbage and immediately add the balsamic (it helps keep the colour). Stir everything, then add the onion with the cloves, the water, the red wine, and all the spices and keep stirring. You will need to reduce the heat and let everything cook for around one hour, stirring occasionally. You can add more water or red wine if necessary. When the cabbage is cooked, add salt and pepper and it is ready to serve.

Tip: While the red cabbage and the seitan is cooking, you can prepare the starter, cook the quinoa and make the dessert. To cook the quinoa, use one cup of quinoa to two cups of water, then simmer on low heat until the water is gone.

Benefits of the Red Cabbage:

All types of cabbage are high in fibre and contain many minerals and vitamins, strengthening the body and boosting the immune system – an ideal winter vegetable. Red cabbage can be prepared in many different ways – steamed or stewed as a side dish with tofu or seitan, cooked as a soup, or even raw in a salad.

Chocolate cream with banana and avocado

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 1 avocado
• Agave syrup (to your personal taste)
• 5 tsp cocoa

Preparation:

Put the banana, avocado, cocoa and syrup into a blender and mix the ingredients into a fine cream. Fill the cream into the dessert bowls, lay the banana slices on top and let the dessert cool down in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

This article was written for Tomorrow Algarve
https://tomorrowalgarve.com/feb-2023-recipe-for-a-vegan-valentine-dinner/