Create Romance with Home-Cooked Meals this Valentine's Day

10 Aphrodisiacs to Spice Up Valentine's Day in Poway

Never knew aphrodisiacs existed at a Poway Farmer's Market?

Well, they do, and they're excellent sources of nutrition and protein, not to mention grown organically.

Follow these simple and easy steps for a make-at-home Valentine's Day dinner. We're serving up shrimp scampi, passion fruit glazed green beans, and berry meringue cups. Making a gift often says more. Here's how to get it: 

Aphrodisiacs to Gather at the Poway Farmer’s Market: 

1 head of garlic, minced

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

2 lemons, juiced

1 bunch fresh parsley

1 bunch of green beans, trimmed

4 large eggs, only whites needed

1 pint fresh strawberries

2 half-pints fresh raspberries

2 half-pints fresh blueberries

2 half-pints fresh blackberries

Ingredients from the Cabinet or Local Grocery Store: 

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 16 to 24)

1/3 cup of butter

1/4 cup of white wine, a dry flavor is best

5 tablespoons of passion fruit puree, (found at your local health food store or Bevmo.com)

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 and 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 fresh vanilla bean, split and seeded

Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Shrimp Scampi: Rinse and clean your shrimp. In a large saute pan, heat butter with garlic, make sure to warm but not brown these ingredients. Add in your shrimp, green onions, white wine, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. In order to cook shrimp perfectly, they should be pink after one to two minutes cooking on each side. Gently turn them, careful not to overcook of the shrimp will become rubbery. Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with chopped parsley and serve. 

Bonus Tip: Toss with pasta for an extra yummy kick. See more about Southern Food and aphrodisiacs here at about.com. 

Green Beans with Passion Fruit Dressing: Green beans are best cooked when blanched. To do so, heat a pan of water until boiling and allow the green beans to cook for three minutes. Drain and sit in cold water for several minutes. Concurrently, warm two tablespoons of butter with your passion fruit puree in a small sauce pan. Add one tablespoon of rice wine vinegar to de-glaze the pan and toss mixture with blanched green beans. Serve and enjoy. 

Meringue Berry Cups: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Meringue cups will cook slow and long, which is why they stay white, fluffy, and do not burn. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using the edge of a drinking glass, draw on four circles to the paper, each 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Turn the paper upside down, you will use these circles as cup markers. 

In a bowl, use your electric or hand-held mixer, beat the four egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt on high speed until the mixture is frothy. Continue to beat on high, adding 2/3 cup of sugar until still peaks start to form within the meringue. Fold in the vanilla extract and the remaining cup of 1/3 sugar. Careful to maintain the buoyancy of the meringue. Siphon it into a piping bag and (use a star-shaped pastry tip if you like) pipe circles of meringue using your guide lines. Start from the outside and work your way in until you have eight cups of meringue, each standing about one inch high. Bake for two hours, turn off oven, and allow the meringue cups to cool in the oven for at least four hours, or over night. Remove them and begin the next step. 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Combine all berries on a baking sheet, tossing with 1/4 cup of sugar and fresh vanilla bean seeds. Roast for 20 minutes and remove from oven and cool to room temperature. 

Fill the meringue cups with the berry mixture and serve as a Valentine's Day aphrodisiac dessert. Learn more about Ina Garten's recipes here. 

Find out more about love and culinary inspiration from "The Aphrodisiac Queen" at eatsomethingsexy.com

In the meantime, enjoy your creation with those that you love, as the season is all about. The smell of good food, and love, seems to be in the air.