Chocolate Beef Stew and Powerhouse Chocolate Salad

What goes better with Valentine’s Day than chocolate? And what goes better in the middle of February than a yummy warming stew? These recipes may seem to be a strange combination of ingredients, but they really are delicious. Surprise your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.

Chocolate Beef Stew

4 large tomatoes or 1 can (28-ounce) fire roasted tomatoes
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
Olive oil
2 lbs or so blade pot roast, cut into large chunks
3 T vegetable oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 c beef broth
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground cinnamon
1 T dried oregano
2 heaping spoonfuls of cocoa powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes and onions onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, carefully sear the chunks of beef in vegetable oil in a very hot pan. If needed, prepare the beef in batches to brown evenly. Add all the meat back to the pan. Add the celery and carrots. Add the roasted onion. Pull the skin off the roasted tomatoes and add them to the pan, chopping them a bit with a spoon. Add the beef broth, spices and cocoa and stir well. Season with salt and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until the beef is very tender and the broth has thickened, about 1-1/2 hours. Stir in the dark chocolate and serve immediately!


Powerhouse Chocolate Salad

To serve two people, start with 6 cups of any combination of spinach, watercress, alfalfa sprouts, and broccoli as the base for the following ingredients:

1 c blueberries
1 mango, sliced
½ c walnuts, chopped
¼ c cacao nibs

Chocolate Vinaigrette

juice from 1 lemon
1/3 c olive oil
2 oz melted dark chocolate
pinch cayenne pepper
1 ½ t prepared stone-ground mustard
1 ½ t sugar
1T balsamic vinegar
1 ½ t champagne vinegar
3 T fresh chive blossoms