Kitchen Corner: Sweets for Your Sweets

What says “I love you” better than something homemade?

Whether your Valentine is your lover, your friend, your mother, or your cat,*they’ll appreciate that you went to the time and effort to rustle up something with your own hands that you can enjoy together.

As an added bonus, while these recipes all taste like sinful treats, in true alive style, they’re all healthy and wholesome. We got your back.

We’ve even thought about how you can integrate hearts, romance, and other mushy stuff into each recipe. See? Told you we had your back.

Upside-Down Pineapple Quinoa Cake

This tasty, tropical dessert is a break from the usual chocolate-mania that surrounds us in February. It would be an ideal take-to-work treat or dinner party dessert. The delicious pineapple is high in vitamin C and manganese and helps with digestion.

Love tip: For added Valentine’s Day flair, cut a corner out of the pineapple rings to make pineapple hearts. D’aww.

Chocolate Fondue

Ok, ok, we know it’s cliché. A chocolate fondue to round off an evening of romance is pretty expected, but throw in cashews, cayenne, cinnamon, and you’ve serious surprise factor, along with some huge cardiovascular boosters.

Love tip: Do you really need more ideas on how to make chocolate fondue romantic? Throw in a roaring fireplace, some soft music, and snuggly blankets, (to your location, not in to the fondue pot).

Atole de Fresa (Strawberry Soup)

For lighter dessert that is a snap to make, try this lovely pink Strawberry Soup. Strawberries are chockablock with heart-healthy potassium, and the mint will aid digestion, (and sweeten breath for smooching later).

Love tip: Sliced strawberries are already heart-shaped decorations, so add some dark-chocolate-painted mint leaves to show how much effort you made.

Wholesome Strawberry Thumbelina Cookies

Healthier versions of childhood favourites will get all your friends feeling loved and nostalgic. The sugar has been sneakily replaced with dried fruit purée; the oats are filling, heart-healthy, and may provide support for immune function and bone strength; and the almond butter is delicious and great for digestion. What a caring gift!

Love tip: Turn the classic thumb-print cookie into a series of x’s and o’s. The o’s take the classic form, using the back of a spoon to indent into the cookie dough. For the x’s, use a palette knife to draw an x-shaped trough in the cookies before filling with yummy jam.

*Please don’t feed any of these recipes to your cat. It’s more of a symbolic gesture.