Soul Food Sunday & Healthy Eating Tips

Celebrate Valentine's Day by preparing a special meal for your loved ones. Cook and Lifestyle Maven, B. Smith, shares a Valentine's Day meal plan. You can save calories and money by preparing a meal for that special someone at home. Use the recipe below to create a wonderful evening and control the high fat, salt, and sugar that restaurants add to your food. To make your recipe even healthier use these 5 tips from the Mayo Clinic to makeover your recipe.

Chef Rock's Valentine's Day Meal

Spicy Pickled Vegetables

1 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 carrot, peeled and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch pieces

1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 habenero pepper seeded finely shredded

1 jalapeno pepper seeded and shredded

4 baby patty pan squash cut in half

2 ounces purple wax beans

2 ounces yellow wax beans

2 ounces French green beans

In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar, salt, and water until sugar and salt dissolve and mixture is heated through. Place vegetables in a medium bowl, and pour hot pickling mixture over vegetables. Let vegetables sit for 1 hour at room temperature or 4 hours, covered, in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Sweet Sautéed Lobster 2 lobster claws or tails cooked and taken out of the shell

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup of moscato wine (or another sweet wine you enjoy)

1 lemon juiced

1⁄2 cup cream

Heat a medium size sauté pan over medium high heat. Add butter and sugar. Cook until the utter has completely melted and add the lobster. Sauté for one minute. Deglaze with the wine. Add the lemon juice. Simmer this mixture for a minute or two until a smooth texture has been reached, about two minutes. Then add cream and reduce until the sauce is the texture of a smooth caramel. Taste and adjust seasonings and serve with spicy pickled vegetables, mashed potatoes and the Moscato.

Mashed Potatoes

4 pounds russet, Yukon gold, or long white potatoes

2 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste 1 1/2 cups milk or cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Peel potatoes, and cut them into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water. Stir in 2 tablespoons salt. Place pan over high heat, and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain potatoes in a colander. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer; reduce heat to low, and keep warm. Place a heatproof bowl on top of a pan of simmering water. Using a potato ricer, press hot, drained potatoes into bowl. Stir potatoes with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in butter until completely melted and well incorporated. While stirring continuously, slowly pour in hot milk. Stir in pepper, and salt, to taste. Serve immediately.