A romantic dinner at home with that special someone can be delicious and healthy too! Just try these heart healthy recipes brought to you by Southcoast Health and Mindful by Sodexo.

Pretzel-Crusted Salmon, Over Spinach and Brown Rice Pilaf

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 383, Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 495mg, Carbs: 47g, Fiber: 6g, Protein: 55.9g

Pretzel- Crusted Salmon Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless salmon, cut into 4 fillet pieces
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons, pretzels, ground in food processor

Roasted Tomato Coulis Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable broth
• ½ cup tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup red peppers, diced
• 1 tablespoon shallots, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Spinach Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• ½ cup onions, julienned
• 1 pound spinach, rinsed and dried
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown Rice Pilaf Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon onions, minced
• ¼ cup carrots, diced
• ¼ cup red peppers, diced
• ¾ cup brown rice
• 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

Instructions:

1. Roasted Tomato Coulis: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tomatoes, peppers, shallots and garlic on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes in the oven. Remove and place in a food processor and puree. In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the vegetable broth, vinegar and black pepper and puree. Bring it to simmer and heat for 5 minutes. Reserve.
2. Spinach: In a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and onions and saute for about 5 minutes until browned and soft. Add the spinach and toss until completed wilted, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
3. Brown Rice Pilaf: In a saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the onions, carrots and peppers until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, vegetable broth, bay leaf and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is thoroughly cooked. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the parsley.
4. Pretzel-Crusted Salmon: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the salmon fillets on an oiled baking sheet. Spread each with mustard and sprinkle with the pepper. Top each with the ground pretzel. Bake for 8 minutes.
5. To assemble: Place a quarter of the spinach on a plate and top with the baked salmon fillet and garnish with the tomato coulis. Serve along side a serving of the brown rice pilaf.

Chocolate Polka Dot Brownies

Servings: 12

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 130, Total Fat: 6.4g Saturated Fat: 1.3g, Sodium: 91mg, Carbs: 20.4g, Fiber: 1.5g, Protein: 1.4g

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup roasted beets, or canned and drained beets, pureed in a food processor
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat a 350-degree oven.
2. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with aluminum foil with some extra hanging over the edges so that you can easily pull out brownies for easy cutting once cooked.
3. With an electric mixer, beat the sugars, egg substitute and oil until well combined.
4. Add the beet puree, vanilla, cocoa powder and flour and mix until well combined. Pour into the baking pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips over top.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least a half hour before pulling the brownies out of the pan using the aluminum foil and allow to cool completely before cutting.

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