Valentine’s Day three-course meal for a tenner!

I don’t normally post mid week but Valentine’s day is tomorrow and I wanted to share with you a special feature – Valentine’s Day 3- course meal for a tenner! Of course, if you can stretch to a £20 note, then grab yourself a bottle of wine too, but I managed to squeeze in three dishes for a tenner and I cooked them all in the space of an hour.

If you are running short of time and have no idea what to do for Valentine’s Day then make it super special and cook for your loved one. They say a way to a man’s (and woman’s) heart is through the stomach, so fill them up with three bad boys and not just one!

The boys and I have decided that we’re going to celebrate Valentine’s Day all together this year because we want to show hubby/daddy how much we love and respect him. So they sorted out the decorations for the table (which started off as pink hearts and ended up being Pokemon characters) while I got on and made the starter, main and dessert.

So here is the menu!

Starter

Full recipe here – Winter warming veg soup

Main

Full recipe here – One – pot spaghetti

Dessert

Full recipe here – Chocolate Pie

The Chocolate Pie is actually meant to be a salted chocolate pie, but my husband took the salted peanuts to work, so I had to make do with the nuts that I had in my cupboard, which were almonds and hazelnuts. But, stick to salted peanuts, the salted chocolate pie is delicious (plus, it allows you to stick to a tenner for this 3-course meal – hazelnuts and almonds blow the budget wide open). 

I would read the three recipes from start to finish first and then follow the cooking process in the order below, to maximise efficiency and save time.

1. So, start with the dessert (full recipe for the Chocolate Pie here)
2. Make the base first, which would be the nuts, coconut oil, cocoa powder and maple syrup.
3. Place the base in the freezer for 5 minutes while you whizz up the nuts, cacao powder and Maple syrup for the top. This bit can take up to 20 minutes because you’re looking for a gooey consistency. It certainly took 20 minutes with the raw hazelnuts because I forgot to roast them first, which would cut the time to half. You won’t have this problem with the salted peanuts.
4. While the top part of the dessert is whizzing up in the food processor, chop and prepare your veg for the soup starter (Winter Warming Veg Soup recipe here). They’ll go into a steamer for around 20 minutes.
5. While the veg is steaming and the nuts are whizzing, prepare the ingredients for your main (One-Pot Spaghetti recipe here).
6. Add all ingredients to a large pot with a lid and cook on low for ten minutes. The veg for the Winter Warming Veg Soup will still be steaming, but the nuts for the top part of the Chocolate Pie should be done.
7. Take the Chocolate Pie base out of the freezer and add the top part (the gooey mix in the processor). Once done, place in the fridge and leave until you’re ready to serve.
8. Check the veg for the veg soup and pulse in the processor. The soup should be ready the same time as the main. So, decorate your table and you’re good to go!

Have fun lovebirds, let me know how it goes 🙂 (Any questions, just contact me)

If you decide to make this extra special Valentine’s Day 3-Course Meal (and I really think that you should), please do tag me on @fiveforafiver on Facebook/Twitter (@Fiveforafiver1 on Instagram), using the hashtags #fiverfoodies and/or #fiveforafiver, so I can see your awesome creations – thanks!  

If you’re ready to create your recipe, click on the button below and head over to MySupermarket to buy your ingredients.

Prices from Asda are £9.04 as at 13 February 2018 (prices may vary after this date)

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