Over the past few years, the hubs and I have made a Valentine’s Day tradition of forgoing the jam-packed, overly-decorated and price-inflated restaurants, opting instead for a romantic dinner in. We love it! Since Valentine’s Day is all about love and romance, I like to use it as an excuse to spice things up! This year I’m making something deliciously unexpected…something sexy. And by sexy, I’m of course referring to aphrodisiacs.
Aphrodisiacs are often a popular treat for couples celebrating their love, which makes Valentine’s Day the perfect time to try them out, if you haven’t before. I’m planning to make some of the hubs favs- a Seafood Paella and a decadent Chocolate Pudding Cake for dessert. Since you want to keep things sexy on Valentine’s Day, it’s never a good idea to overeat. That’s why these simple aphrodisiac recipes are a sure thing (pun intended). I also love them because they’re easy (pun intended again).
Valentine’s Day Aphrodisiac Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 pinches of saffron threads
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of granulated onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 14½ ounce cans of peeled whole tomatoes, drained well and crushed by hand
- 6 ounces pre-cooked andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 cup long grain rice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add sausage and cook until lightly browned on both sides.
- Add granulated onion, then using your hands, add tomatoes, allowing the juices to seep through your fingers before placing in the pan. Stir ingredients and cook for about 2 minutes, until flavors have melded.
- Add garlic and rice and cook one minute.
- Add chicken stock and saffron, stir well, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir rice, then lay shrimp and mussels on top of partially cooked rice, replace cover, and cook until rice has absorbed all the liquid, the shrimp are cooked, and the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes more.
- Discard any unopened mussels and sprinkle entire dish with parsley. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
What makes it sexy?
Saffron. Believed to stimulate sexual desire in women. I find the Spanish saffron at Trader Joe’s to be a good value, since saffron can get pricey.
Shrimp. Shrimp is loaded with iodine, and since a deficiency of iodine is known to reduce sex drive, shrimp is a delicious remedy. The protein in shrimp is also known to break down in the body in to phenylalanine, which is proven to increase levels of sex drive–boosting neurotransmitters in the brain.
Mussels. Traditionally oysters are the most well-known aphrodisiac, but turns out, all shellfish, including mussels, have chemical compounds that release sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen.
Ingredients Instructions
What makes it sexy?
Chocolate. Truth be told, chocolate isn’t exactly a true aphrodisiac, though it does have aphrodisiac properties. Chocolate contains Serotonin and Phenylethaylamine which improve your mood and increase energy, both of which come in handy when it’s time to get randy!
Strawberries. Historically, the seeds in strawberries symbolize fertility and they have often been described in art and literature as “fruit nipples.” Ha! All their essentials vitamins have also been known to increase libido.
*Recipes adapted from Gaiam Life
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