Valentine's Day Food--Pasta, No Bake Cheesecake, Lemon Blueberry Donuts

I made this for our Valentine's dinner along with her divine breadsticks.  My kids loved this. Lucy still asks for me to make it. It was really easy which was nice. 

20-Minute Tomato Pesto Pasta

YIELD: SERVES 4-6

Don't skip toasting those almonds! It adds a delicious depth of flavor that you don't want to miss.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 10 to 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 to 3 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound linguine or spaghetti noodles
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
• Fresh basil for garnish (optional)

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the noodles according to package directions.
2. While the noodles are boiling, toast the almonds in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly golden and fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
3. In a food processor, combine the almonds, tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process again until the mixture is mostly smooth (there will be small bits of almonds but everything else should be pretty smooth). With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and mix for 20-30 seconds. Set aside.
4. Drain the noodles and return to the pot.
5. Pour over the pesto sauce, add the Parmesan cheese, and toss to combine.
6. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and fresh basil, if desired.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Jodi at 5BoysBaker, originally from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2011
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/20-minute-tomato-pesto-pasta/

For dessert, I made these. Mark doesn't love cheesecake so these weren't his favorite but I do! I loved these and it was easy to make. I just had plain greek yogurt so I added a little powdered sugar to it.

1. No-Bake Berry Yogurt Cheesecakes
   YIELD: SERVES 8
   I use thick Greek yogurt (vanilla or honey-vanilla flavored). If you use non-Greek yogurt, the cheesecake mixture might be a bit thinner so experiment accordingly. If you have homemade yogurt, that could work as well - the thicker the better (if your yogurt is plain, consider adding a bit of honey or agave nectar or sugar to sweeten it up just slightly). Keep in mind that since the fruit mixture is spooned over the crust, if the assembled desserts are refrigerated or sit longer than 30 minutes, the crust may get a bit soft or dare I say, soggy. If you want to avoid that, you can omit spooning berries over the crust and instead top the cheesecake filling with the entire allotment of berries for each serving. If your fruit isn't really ripe/juicy, you may want to increase the sugar just a bit in the berries.
   INGREDIENTS
   Berry Topping:
   • 16 ounces fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and diced
   • 6 ounces fresh raspberries, washed and patted dry
   • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
   Crust:
   • 9 rectangular graham crackers (1 sleeve of crackers), crushed into fine crumbs
   • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
   • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
   Cheesecake:
   • 16 ounces light cream cheese, softened
   • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
   • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (just a squeeze)
   • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
   • 1 cup low fat Greek vanilla yogurt (see note)
   • 
     
   1.For the berry topping, combine the strawberries, raspberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Give the mixture a good stir and let it sit for 10-15 minutes while the rest of the dessert is being made and assembled. The berries will macerate - which basically means the sugar will help the fruit become a bit syrupy while resting.
2. For the crust, combine the crushed crackers with the sugar and butter; mix. Divide the mixture evenly among 8 (6- to 8-ounce) bowls, ramekins or individual trifle dishes and press lightly into the bottom of the dishes.
3. For the cheesecake, in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until the mixture is very light and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the yogurt and beat until well-combined and fluffy, 30 seconds to a minute.
4. Give the fruit/sugar mixture a good stir. Spoon a bit of the fruit mixture on top of each crust (keep in mind you'll only use half for this layer; the other half will go on top of the cheesecake layer).
5. Spoon an even amount of cheesecake filling on top of the fruit (about 1/3 cup or until all the filling is divided evenly among the dishes) and top with a spoonful of the remaining fruit.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/no-bake-berry-yogurt-cheesecakes/

We had these for breakfast on Valentine's Day with my new donut pan. My kids thought it was so fun and these were pretty tasty. They were no more work than making muffins. 

BAKED LEMON BLUEBERRY DONUTS

Serves:8 donuts

Prep time:20 mins

Cook time:10 mins

Total time:30 mins

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Lemon blueberry donuts topped with a simple two ingredient lemon glaze. These Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts are incredibly easy to make and perfect for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

For the lemon blueberry donuts:

• 1 cup (125 grams) all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup (80ml) milk
• ⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ - ½ cup fresh blueberries

For the lemon glaze:

• 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or milk)

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the donuts:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8 cavities in a donut pan (or pans) well with non-stick cooking spray. If using a 6-count donut pan, you will need to bake in separate batches. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, egg, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
4. Evenly distribute the batter between all 8 cavities of the prepared donut pan (a piping bag or spoon works well).
5. Bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the donut comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the glaze:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until well combined. Add more lemon juice to thin out the glaze or add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze as needed.
2. Place a piece of foil under the wire rack with the donuts to catch any glaze. Dip each donut into the glaze and place onto the wire rack. Allow the glaze to harden for a few minutes, then serve, and enjoy!
3. http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/2017/01/16/baked-lemon-blueberry-donuts/