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Share the Love This Valentine’s Day with Vegan Recipes

Religion aside, why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? I hear more and more people complaining about this particular day and the pressure to create romance. There are the over-inflated costs for dinner, the contrived purchase of a beautiful bloom for your date from the flower girl making her rounds, the cards, the candy…one can just feel the weight and expectations for the day long before it arrives. And yet, the world loves to love. Maybe it’s because we were created with the capacity to feel and give it. Someone said, love isn’t love until it’s given away. How true. And yet when we think of all the beings and things we can – and do – love, it’s funny how we each construct a particular set of boundaries. Some things are inside these boundaries and we easily and happily share our love; our family and friends, pets, our property. Other beings or things reside outside the lines, and to them, we are apathetic. Sometimes cruel. Strangers, the unforgiven, Mother Earth, food animals.

Perhaps Valentine’s Day can be considered a simple reminder. A soft whisper in our ear that beckons us to consider our love a currency we need to spend – on everything, and everyone. Every day. Instead of turning a cold shoulder to Valentine’s Day this year, consider opening your heart and mind to those outside the lines. Say a kind word, offer an apology, walk or bike instead of drive, and go vegan. Dining out this year? Support a vegan restaurant or get our tips on how to ensure you enjoy your dinner. Cooking at home? Here are a few love-filled recipes to help you get started!

Baked Potato Gnocchi

Mushroom Scallops and Lemon Caper Sauce

Eggplant Rollatini

Crab Cakes

Heart Shaped Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Bittersweet Hazelnut Ganache Bites

Homemade Vegan Truffles

Chocolate Mousse Parfait