Forget the five-course prix fixe menus. Skip the overcrowded, overpriced restaurants. This Valentine's Day, show your lovin' with a home-cooked meal that will get the ol' libido going. Here, E! Style Collective member and celebrity chef Candice Kumai shares her favorite heart-pumping dishes.
Luscious Lox, Caper & Rocket Salad
Serves 4
Arugula is not just one of my top superfoods—it's also one of the oldest known aphrodisiacs and is thought to be an effective overall stimulant. It's packed with folate and antioxidants. Folate allows extra insurance for good reproductive health. I use arugula in almost all of my salads and simply toss them into all of my pasta and grain recipes. Researchers claim that arugula's minerals and antioxidants bring out its natural aphrodisiac qualities.
Salmon, one of my absolute favorite foods with benefits, is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which keeps your sex hormones flowing. Salmon also increases your blood circulation, along with keeping you healthy and happy. Those omega-3s work like magic in the bedroom.
For Caper-Lemon Dressing
1/4 cup caper brine (from the caper jar)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
(optional)
For the Salad
4 cups wild arugula
1⁄3 cup capers
1 cup cannellini beans
1⁄4 cup chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled
12 thin slices lox (wild smoked salmon)
Directions for Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the caper brine, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. Add a touch of honey or agave, if desired.
Directions for Salad
In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, capers and cannellini beans. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Top the salad with the chèvre and lox. Serve additional dressing on the side, if desired.
Spicy Cayenne Shrimp Soba Noodles
Excerpt from Candice Kumai's upcoming book: Clean Green Eats
Serves 6
The capsaicin in cayenne pepper can increase your circulation, heart rate and get more blood pumping and stimulate more nerve endings. These are feelings similar to getting stimulated and turned on prior to engaging in sex.
Capsaicin also plays a huge role in endorphin release: In "MST" (male sex terms) this means you'll get a legal hit—a feel-good high from simply eating more hot peppers or cayenne, similar to the feeling that you get after you have sex.
Shrimp is full of libido-boosting zinc! It's believed that zinc may help enhance testosterone production. Higher levels of the hormone are linked to an increase in desire. Zinc is also crucial to healthy sperm production and blood circulation. So let's remember one thing: All men need more zinc!
Ingredients
1 pound medium 41/50 uncooked shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined, tails removed
For the marinade
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Tamari reduced sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons agave or honey
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
For the salad
1 package soba (8 ounces), cooked, cooled and drained
1 cup fresh, organic edamame (if frozen, thaw)
1 cup fresh baby arugula2 green onions, finely chopped on the bias
To top
2 tablespoons whole mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, optional
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
For the dressing
2 ½ tablespoons Tamari reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
1. Clean, peel, devein and pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
2. In a medium reusable container, add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, agave or honey, cayenne pepper, and fresh grated ginger. Whisk well to combine. Add your peeled, deveined shrimp, toss gently to cover in marinade.
3. Cover the container and let the shrimp marinate for approximately 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. When ready, remove your shrimp from the marinade. Heat a large saute pan with a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and saute shrimp until cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from heat.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the ingredients for the dressing, whisk well to combine. Add in your cooked and cooled soba noodles and edamame, toss well to coat. Add in your arugula and green onions. Top with mint leaves, cilantro (if using) and top off with toasted sesame seeds and the shrimp! Enjoy this salad holds fabulously even the next day. Enjoy my loves!
Port-Soaked Cherry and Dark Chocolate Brownies
Serves: 20
Devouring something decadent like high-quality dark chocolate is incredibly sensual. Dark chocolate in particular contains a compound called phenylethylamin, which releases the same endorphins triggered by sex, and increases the feelings of attraction between two people, according to research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Chocolate also releases serotonin into the body. Additionally, a brain scan done in a British study showed that eating chocolate causes a more intense and longer brain buzz than actual kissing does.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 cup dried sweet cherries
2 cups sweet port wine (red)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour cream
1 1/2 cups chopped premium dark chocolate
Directions
1. Completely cover and soak the fresh and dried cherries in the port wine for at least 3 hours (overnight is best). Drain and reserve liquid.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat it with cooking spray.
3. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a microwave or double boiler. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the melted chocolate mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, stirring to incorporate after each addition. Mix until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps.
5. Gently fold in the port-soaked cherries, reserving a few to garnish and reserving any leftover liquid for another use. Stir to incorporate.
6. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve garnished with the reserved cherries.