You can keep your flourless chocolate cakes, your tired box of mass-produced chocolate, your supermarket roses and your chalky, too-sweet love-phrase candies. They do nothing for me.

But make me a smiling vegetable heart this Valentines Day, drizzled with just a touch of fruity, heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil, and I will be yours forever.

One of the best things about living in San Francisco is the plethora of dim sum restaurants that abound. My friends and I regularly spend weekend mornings filling our bellies with endless hot tea, shrimp dumplings, pork potstickers, scallion pancakes, crispy spring rolls and steamed barbeque pork buns. I’ve managed to recreate formidable versions of all listed—except for the pork buns. So when I stumbled upon folded, fillable steamed buns in the freezer section of my local Asian grocery store, I knew I had to give them a try.

These are essentially the dim sum equivalent of sloppy joes—in that they are soft buns housing moist loose meat (is that not the least appetizing sentence I have ever written?), but when you bite into them, you will be greeted by a sweet-spicy-juicy filling, absolutely bursting with flavor.

Next time you and your friends have a hankering for dim sum, you might try throwing your own dim sum brunch, featuring these, plus Scallop-Scallion Dumplings, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Vegetarian Egg Rolls and Scallion Pancakes.

What’s your favorite dim sum dish?

• ingredients
• 2 tsp vegetable or canola oil Pantry
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped Pantry
• 1 1” piece ginger, peeled and chopped $0.50
• 1/2 lb ground pork $1
• 1/8 cup plus 2 tbsp hoisin sauce $2 for 8 oz.
• 2-3 tsp (more/less to taste) Asian chili sauce $2 for 8 oz.
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp soy sauce Pantry
• 1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped finely $1 for a bunch
• 6 frozen folded steamed buns $2.50

Total Cost of Ingredients $9

Directions

Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, stirring once or twice.

Add the ground pork and cook for 1 minute, using a wooden spoon or spatula to spread the pork around the pan.

Stir 1/8 cup of the hoisin, the chili sauce and the soy sauce into the pork mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has been absorbed and pork has cooked through, about 5 minutes.

While pork cooks, wrap the frozen buns in damp paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Flip buns over and microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and arrange on a plate.

Stir in remaining hoisin and cilantro.

To assemble the pork buns, spoon 2-3 tbsp of pork mixture into the prepared buns. Serve hot.

Makes 6 pork buns.

Beef stew is the ultimate “set it and forget it” on-a-budget dinner. With just a little mindful prep, cheap, tough, chewy chuck roast turns meltingly tender and flavorful as it stews at a low temperature for an hour-and-a-half. Many people like to add wine to their stew, but I find balsamic vinegar imparts the flavor the wine attempts to achieve for less money.

For help creating your beef stew, here’s a great recipe template from The Kitchn..

What do you put in your beef stew?

• ingredients
• 1 lb “stew beef, “ (also known as chuck roast or shoulder), cut into 1 1/2” cubes $6
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour Pantry
• extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 3 large shallots, sliced thinly $1
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed Pantry
• 1 quart beef broth $2.50
• few sprigs fresh rosemary $1 for a bunch
• 6 new (baby) potatoes, scrubbed and quartered (skin intact) $2
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise and then into thirds $1
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $13.50

Directions

Toss the beef cubes in the flour to lightly coat, shaking off excess.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven or other large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and allow to cook, undisturbed, for 2-3 minutes. Turn beef over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and add the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until shallots have softened and become very fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally.

Deglaze the pan by adding 1/2 cup of the stock and scraping the browned bits at the bottom of the pan and stirring into the soup. Continue scraping (and adding more stock if necessary) until all browned bits have been scraped away. Add the rest of the stock, 1 cup of water, the rosemary, potatoes, carrots and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat to low.

Cover pot and allow to cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After 1 hour, check the stew and add a bit more water if necessary. The stew is done when the beef is tender enough to be easily pulled apart with a fork.

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Serves 4.

On Sunday, my friend, the inimitable Mollie Katzen Tweeted, “Two perfect cauliflowers from farmers’ market: like magic chariot headlights, or mysterious celestial orbs, fallen to earth. Will now roast.”

Oh Mollie. You are seriously so cool. Anyone who Tweets cauliflower poetry is a hero in my book.

So, inspired by Ms. Katzen, I set out to find my own “magic chariot headlights” to roast and puree in this decadent soup. The bacon (which gets easily crisped in the oven along with the cauliflower—no need for a frying pan) adds a lovely smoky accent and the nutty Parmesan pulls it all together in the final step.

Serve with hot crusty bread and butter.

• ingredients
• 1 head cauliflower, outer leaves removed, cored and divided into florets $1.50
• extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 3 sices thick-cut bacon, preferably uncured $1.50
• 1 medium onion, chopped $0.50
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed Pantry
• 1 15-oz. can chicken or vegetable broth $1.50
• 1/2 cup half-and-half $1.50 for a pint
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish*$3.50 for 12 oz.*
• 2 scallions (green onions), chopped for garnish $1 for a bunch

Total Cost of Ingredients $11

Diretions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the florets with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a mixing bowl. Transfer cauliflower to a baking sheet and spread out evenly, leaving about 1/4 of the baking pan free. Place the bacon on the free space.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, flipping the bacon after about 8 minutes (once the bacon has fully crisped, remove it). The cauliflower should be lightly browned in spots.

While cauliflower and bacon cook, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent and very fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add roasted cauliflower, broth and enough water to cover. Cover pot with a fitted lid and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until cauliflower is very soft.

Crumble 2 of the bacon slices and cut the third into 2” slices (to be used for garnish) and set aside.

Add the half-and-half and crumbled bacon and puree the soup, either in a food processor, blender or using an immersion blender right in the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste (be careful with the salt—the broth and bacon add a fair amount of it).

Stir in the Parmesan and ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of more Parmesan, a small slice or two of bacon and a pinch of scallions.

Serve hot.

Serves 4.

My friend Ruben gave me the recipe that inspired this one. He made his with lean ground turkey and pan-steamed the meatballs. I thought it sounded delicious, but ground pork was on sale at my neighborhood’s Asian grocery store, and I decided that was more Chinese anyway, so that’s what I used. I added fresh chopped spinach, because I love the bright flavor and color it imparts to meatballs, plus it’s a healthy and cheap way to get more meatball for your buck. A heap of rice vinegar-soaked shredded carrots and cucumber gives this sandwich a kind of banh mi feel, and fluffy Chinese steamed buns provide just the right amount of structure for the juicy and flavorful sandwich fillings. Prepare each individual sandwich before serving or set out platers of the buns, meatballs, carrot-cucumber mixture, condiments and cilantro and let people assemble their own sandwiches.

Note: Ruben teaches fourth grade at a low-income school in New York City. His classroom library desperately needs new books. If you can, please take a second to help him out.

• ingredients
• a drizzle of olive or vegetable oil for the pan (or use cooking spray) Pantry
• 3/4 lb ground pork $1
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
• 1 1” piece ginger, peeled and chopped $0.50
• 1 tbsp soy sauce Pantry
• 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
• 2-3 tsp (depending on how spicy you like it) Asian chili sauce, plus more for serving $2 for 8 oz.
• 2 scallions, chopped $1 for a bunch
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped $0.50
• 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 12
• 1 carrot, grated $0.25
• 1/2 regular cucumber (peel intact), grated or cut into matchsticks $1 for a whole cucumber
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar $2.50 for 12 oz.
• 6 small Chinese steamed buns (sometimes called “steamed bread,” found in the freezer section of most Asian specialty stores), or French rolls $2.50 for 6
• hoisin sauce $2 for 8 oz.
• 6 smallish sprigs fresh cilantro $1 for a bunch

Total Cost of Ingredients $15.25

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil/spray a baking sheet and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine pork, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, black pepper, scallions, spinach leaves and egg. Use your (clean) hands to mix well. Form into golf ball-sized meatballs and arrange on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are evenly spaced. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through.

While meatballs cook, combine the carrot and cucumber in a small bowl and drizzle with the vinegar. Toss to coat and set aside until ready to use.

Steam the buns according to package directions (I find it easiest/quickest to microwave them for 1-2 minutes, wrapped in a damp paper towel). Split buns in half, lengthwise.

Spread a little hoisin sauce on each half of the buns. Place 1-2 meatballs, topped with the carrot-cucumber mixture and a sprig of cilantro on the bottom half of each bun. Top with the other half of the bun. Serve immediately, with extra chili sauce on the side.

Makes 6 sandwiches (serves about 3).