Have a heart and serve quick-to-fix healthy treats

(ARA) - Your loved ones will feel the love this Valentine's Day when you serve up dazzling dishes that delight the taste buds and promote happy, healthy hearts.

Bright, colorful fresh fruits bursting with delicious juicy flavors are sweet treats you can offer your family right now. Thanks to an abundant supply of fresh fruit from Chile, where it's summer, you can enjoy all your favorite fruits all winter long.

Fresh fruits sliced as toppings for a very yummy dessert pizza or fresh blueberries scattered like sparkling jewels in a main course salad turn a meal into a true celebration of the heart.

"In addition to providing a healthy bounty of antioxidants - which are proven to prevent cellular aging and offer protection against memory loss, stroke and several types of cancer - blueberries also lower the risk of heart disease," says Dr. Steven Pratt, a noted nutrition expert and author of the book "SuperFoodsRx."

Numerous studies have shown that the fiber in fruits can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and obesity. More recent evidence has found that special nutritional compounds present in fruits provide additional protection from heart disease. Plus, they may also help prevent cancer, Alzheimer's disease and age-related loss of vision.

Ironically, even with all the new scientific evidence available, the vast majority of Americans still haven't been getting enough fruit and vegetables to eat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's probably because in the past there wasn't much variety to choose from during the long winter months. But now with the availability of fresh fruits all year round, it's easier than ever to enrich your family's diet with natural healthfulness found in fruit.

Plus, with fresh ripe fruit at the ready, these dishes go together in a snap. No thawing or cooking needed. Just rinse and slice the tasty fruit, toss in those delectable blueberries and go.

Fresh Fruit Pizza
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 8- to 9-inch tortillas, preferably whole wheat
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced fresh Chilean fruit including nectarines, plums, kiwi and blueberries
1/4 cup apricot jam, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Sprinkle tortillas with sugar and cinnamon; place on baking sheet and bake until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool. Spread with cheese, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Arrange fruit on the cheese. Brush with jam to create a glossy finish. To serve, use a large knife to cut pizzas into quarters and serve immediately.

Salmon, Fresh Blueberries and Lemon Salad with Chive Vinaigrette
Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 cups salad greens in small pieces
1 pound salmon fillet, poached
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Lemon zest to garnish
Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine
Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chives

Directions:
Divide salad greens on four salad plates. Divide salmon and arrange on greens. Sprinkle on blueberries. Top with lemon zest. In a jar with a lid, add all the vinaigrette ingredients. Shake well. Serve salads chilled with the dressing alongside.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Elegantly Easy, Wickedly Delicious Dark Chocolate Bark With Figs And Nuts

(NAPSI)-Impress that special person in your life with a healthy taste of decadent Dark Chocolate Bark with Figs and Nuts. If you're new to bark, this chocolate candy ranks as one of the easiest and tastiest confectionary treats.

Simply melt chocolate in the microwave, stir in some chopped golden Calimyrna or dark purple Mission Figs and some chopped nuts, and spread the mixture on a foil-lined sheet. Chill and break into pieces. So easy, it's hard to believe. Variations abound--drizzling white chocolate over the top, sprinkling with toasted almonds or, for fig lovers, sprinkling additional chopped figs on top--all the variations are delicious. Wrap in festive cellophane with a decorative ribbon for a celebration or keep in an airtight container for everyday enjoyment.

The news keeps getting better. Dark chocolate is loaded with health-promoting antioxidants. Add to this the fact that California dried figs and nuts are great sources of dietary fiber and other essential nutrients and you have a treat that shows you care about healthy eating and know how to make it taste good. Indulge your sweet tooth, but remember that a little piece goes a long way. Share the recipe with friends and family and let everyone in on the treats that treat you well.

Valley Growers' Store is a great place to order figs throughout the year, and the Web site is a wealth of kitchen-tested recipes. Visit www.valleyfig.com.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Figs and Nuts

8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate baking bar, broken into small pieces

½ cup stemmed and chopped (⅓ inch) Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs

½ cup chopped (⅓ inch) salted or lightly salted mixed nuts*

2 ounces white chocolate, broken into small pieces

Melt bittersweet chocolate as package directs. Stir figs and nuts into melted chocolate. Spread on foil-lined baking sheet to thickness of about ¼-inch. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. For white chocolate drizzle, melt white chocolate as package directs. Scrape into small plastic bag; seal bag. Snip tiny hole in corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate over bark. (Or dip teaspoon in chocolate and drizzle over bark.) Chill 30 minutes or until firm. Peel bark off foil and break into irregular 1½- to 2-inch pieces. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Makes 24 to 28 pieces.

*Or chopped, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, walnuts or a combination.

Fig Almond Bark Variation:

Omit mixed nuts and white chocolate. Increase chopped figs to 1 cup. Melt bittersweet chocolate as directed above and stir in figs. Spread on foil as directed. Immediately sprinkle ½ cup toasted sliced almonds over chocolate. Press almonds into warm chocolate with back of spoon to secure. Chill and break into pieces as directed.

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