Give Your Salad Some Love With This Cucumber Cutting Trick
In the medical sense, the way to a person's heart isn't literally through the stomach. When it comes to romance, however, some believe this path is the best way to find true love, which might explain why so many people cook a special meal for their partner on Valentine's Day. This could also be attributed to the fact that 63% of couples who are celebrating plan to order from a restaurant, according to data from Popmenu. This might make it pretty tough to get a table if you don't call far enough ahead.
Those seeking a romantic Valentine's Day meal for two have countless options, and if you're planning on serving a salad for one of your courses, you can easily add some love to the bowl of veggies with a clever cucumber-cutting trick. Holding your knife at a 45-degree angle, slice off the ends of your cucumbers. Then, place the flat side down on your cutting board and cut it length-wise into an even number of slices — you should be able to get at least four, depending on how thick your cucumber is. Match the slices up by size, making sure the two sides with skin are together. Lay the slices down flat with the angled edges touching, and voila! You have adorable cucumber hearts to garnish your salad.
Cucumbers aren't the only produce that can be made into hearts
Cucumber hearts are a sweet way to bring some romance to your Valentine's Day salad, but a veggie medley isn't the only place you can add this garnish. They can also be part of a charcuterie board, top off a bagel, or go on an open-faced cucumber sandwich. You can even stack them with some rice, avocado, and salmon to make a sushi-inspired, shareable heart-shaped snack. Additionally, a cucumber heart skewered on a toothpick makes a great garnish for a beverage like a cucumber margarita.
You can incorporate heart-shaped produce into several other dishes if you want to keep the theme running throughout your meal. Try making heart-shaped grape tomatoes by cutting them in half at a 45-degree angle, flipping one half over, and lining up the flat edges. These are ideal for salads, pasta, or appetizers like a caprese skewer.
Two slices of vertically cut bell peppers can also be turned into a heart, which can bring some serious romance to a homemade pizza or even a cheesesteak. For dessert, you can slice strawberries in half lengthwise and cut a small v-shape at the stem to make strawberry hearts. These are the perfect decorations for a fruit tart, cake, or ice cream.