My husband and I are not the kind of people who go out to eat a lot. He is a chef by trade and I love trying out new recipes, so when a special occasion comes up we like to get creative in the kitchen and serve up our own gourmet meals. Valentine’s day was last week, so I decided to send the kids to grandma’s house and treat my husband to a romantic dinner for two. I wanted to make a combination of our favorites but not spend hours in the kitchen, so I decided on a yummy chili recipe and paired it with homemade bruschetta using Classico canned tomato products I picked up from Walmart. Our Valentine’s dinner date was a hit and the food was too good not to share, so read on and learn how to recreate these dishes for yourself!
Sweetheart Chili For Two With Classico Tomatoes
This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make. I like it because it isn’t too heavy, has a sweet but zesty flavor and I don’t have to worry about breaking my diet. The main ingredient – Classico tomatoes – is 100% all natural, low in sodium, has no fat and less than 30 calories per can! This is a vegetarian chili, but you can easily add meat to it or modify your ingredients without getting things out of whack. Here is what you need:
- 1 can Classico tomato sauce
- 1 can Classico crushed tomatoes
- 1 can reduced sodium black beans
- 1 red, yellow and green bell pepper
- 1/2 onion (You don’t want onion breath from your romantic dinner!)
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tbsp honey (or more depending on your preference)
- 1/2 tsp olive oil (for cooking the veggies)
- 1-2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
Dice your veggies. Saute them on medium/high heat with olive oil until they get nice and soft. Next add the black beans, garlic and your can of crushed tomatoes. Stir well, reduce heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes.
After that, stir in all remaining ingredients. Cover, reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. This chili is sweet in nature (hence Sweetheart chili) but you can spice it up by adding hot sauce, pepper or jalapeno if you would like. While your chili is cooking you can now make your bruschetta.
Bruschetta With Classico Tomatoes
I normally make this with fresh tomatoes, but I wanted to try a new twist on this recipe so I used Classico whole pear tomatoes with fresh basil. I’m glad I did, because it was delicious! I’m a huge fan of basil, and these tomatoes were perfect for a recipe like this. Here is what you need:
- Bread – a baguette is perfect, but use whatever you like.
- 1/2 can Classico whole pear tomatoes with fresh basil
- Fresh mozzarella
- Fresh basil leaves
- Olive oil
- Pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your bread into 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange on a cookie sheet. Next open up the can of Classico tomatoes, cut into cubes, drain in a colander (they are very juicy) and pour them into a medium sized bowl. Cut your fresh mozzarella into small cubes (I make around 2/3 of a cup) and add to the tomatoes. Add olive oil and pepper to taste, then mix. Lastly, chop up a few fresh basil leaves and toss in the mixture. You don’t need many because the tomatoes have already marinated with basil, so just add enough to give it an extra kick of flavor. Pop your bread in the oven for 5 minutes and when it is done add a heaping spoon full of your tomato mixture. Top it off with a little balsamic vinegar.
By this time your chili should be finished cooking, so go ahead and turn off the heat and put it into bowls. After that, the only thing left to do is serve, eat and enjoy!
For our valentine’s dinner I set up a cute love themed tablescape complete with a heart patterned runner and simple but vivid gerber daisies. I kept everything else white because I thought the contrast looked good with all of the red. I think it made for a great effect, don’t you? Our dinner turned out beautifully, and my husband loved the chili so much he was asking for more!
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Classico #cbias #SocialFabric #CookClassico
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