For me, Valentine’s Day is not so much about romance, bling, red roses and fancy dinners. But I still love Valentine’s Day because it’s a fun winter holiday and a good excuse to spend quality time with loved ones. If you’re on my same page, a delicious, cozy and intimate homemade dinner is just what Cupid ordered. And that’s why I’ve come up with this Valentine’s Day dinner plan. Warm and comforting vegan chili topped with my amazing cashew queso sauce and the cutest heart-shaped tortilla dippers (plus any other toppings you and your loved ones crave).
This meal is super easy to make, but it gets even better because this whole meal is make-ahead friendly for easy reheating when V-Day dinner rolls around. Additionally, it’s healthful, hearty, gluten-free and vegan. Bonus, I also added a link to one of my favorite cakes ever – my vegan mounds cake made from rich chocolate cake and creamy coconut frosting. Interested? Keep reading for deets.
My Cozy & Comforting Valentine’s Day Dinner
(vegan | gluten-free | make-ahead)
Festive Tortilla Crisps (recipe follows)
Vegan Mounds Cake (Chocolate Layer Cake with Coconut Frosting)
Tortilla Crisps
Ingredients
Corn Tortillas (Vista Hermosa brand is my fave)
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Festive Cooking Cutter
To Make
Preheat oven to 415 degrees (F).
Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter (or any cookie cutter), cut tortillas into shapes. I don’t like wasting any of the tortillas so I cut as many as I can using the cookie cutter and then cut the remaining tortilla into strips or triangles. See photos below.
Lay out tortilla shapes on a baking sheet. Brush both sides of each shape with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. For my 8 large hearts, I used about a tablespoon of oil in a small bowl. I then used a silicone culinary brush to gently brush the oil onto each heart.
If making strips or triangles, just toss them in a bit of olive oil and season with salt. Lay tortilla strips/triangles out onto a baking sheet in a single layer. The tortillas can overlap slightly but try to arrange them in as much of a single layer as possible. For 8 taco-size tortillas cut into strips or triangles, 2-3 tablespoons oil and 3 heavy sprinkles of salt should be about right.
Bake tortillas for 15 minutes. Gently flip over cookie cutter tortillas. For the strips/triangles, gently toss. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden and crispy. Keep a close eye on them during the second oven stint.
*shout out to my sister, Rickey, who suggested I use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make the crispy tortillas more festive
Radiate Food Vibes 