5 Easy Valentine's Day Food Recipes

You've already done the hard part and found yourself a date, so now just kick back and let these 5 easy Valentine's Day food recipes do the rest.  All of the recipes together will create a great meal, and each one is simple and easy to prepare, which means less stress and more fun.  After all, you should be thinking about the bird at your table, not the one in the oven. 

1. Baked Brie with Figs and Honey

Your Valentine will be impressed with your gourmet skills when you throw together this easy recipe for her. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 wheel brie
• 1/2 honey
• 1/4 cup dried figs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
2. Slice figs into slivers.
3. Line a shallow cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.
4. Place brie on paper and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat when cheese is soft, but before it melts.
6. Drizzle honey over cheese and sprinkle figs on top.

2. Spinach Salad with Dried Cranberries

Since love is the theme of your Valentine's Day dinner, this recipe utilizes the color of the holiday to bring a hint of sweetness to the table.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag pre-washed spinach
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup your favorite vinaigrette

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix spinach, cranberries and walnuts together.
2. Just before serving, add vinaigrette to salad and toss well.

3. Baked Salmon

This recipe pairs nicely with the next one, and together they make an incredibly easy dinner for Valentine's Day.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium salmon fillets, about 4 ounces each
• Kosher salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 425 degrees.
2. Rub both sides of each salmon fillet with salt and pepper.
3. Put salmon onto a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet, skin side down.
4. Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until salmon is done all the way through.

4. Roasted Asparagus

You can cook the asparagus at the same time as the salmon, but note that this recipe has a longer cooking time.  Put the asparagus into the oven at least 3 minutes before the salmon to time your Valentine's dinner correctly.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound trimmed asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 425 degrees
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix asparagus with oil, salt and pepper to taste, and coat evenly.
3. Put into a shallow baking pan or onto a cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until tender.

5. Caramelized Bananas a la Mode

At this point, your Valentine should be eating out of the palm of your hand.  If she's not, she might just need a little sugar, and this easy dessert recipe should do the trick.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium banana
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 pint vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. In a skillet, heat butter and sugar. Stir frequently until sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Add bananas to skillet and stir gently, until bananas are browned and warm.
3. Divide ice cream into 2 bowls and top with banana mixture.