Making
Romantic Meals

Love Foods

About Love Foods and aphrodisiacs

Pine Nuts:

Pine nuts, also called Pignolis, come from the inside the cones of the pine trees. Galen, a 2nd century doctor, prescribed them to his patients for their reported powers. Today, people hail the pine nut as the kernel of love.

Here is a recipe that uses 4 different love foods or aphrodisiacs

Salad with Pine nuts, Avocado and Orange segments
Vanilla citrus vinaigrette

1 head of tender lettuce, ( such as butter lettuce, red leaf, or mesculin mix)
2 Ripe avocados, peeled and sliced
2 oranges ( 1 segmented, use one for the juice in dressing)
12 Purple onion slices
1/2 cup pine nuts

Dressing;
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teasp. dijon mustard
1 tblsp Honey

Directions ;
squeeze orange to get fresh juice
Mix all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, and whip till smooth.

Salad assembly

1. Place a pretty leaf of the lettuce on both plates for a decorative base.

2. Tear remaining lettuce and place on plate

3. Alternate avocado and orange slices on top of the lettuce, then top with onion rings

4. Just before serving toast the pine nuts lightly in a non-stick pan on the stove (approx. 1 minute) or on a sheet pan in a 350 degree oven (approx. 5 minutes) . When you smell the nutty aroma they are done.

5. Drizzle salad dressing over the salads.

6. Top with the toasted pine nuts ,

You can make this salad into an entree by adding strips of grilled chicken breast or salmon.