With the cold weather upon us, it is easy to get into the rut of staying in and remaining cozy on the couch. In order to mix things up, my boyfriend and I will often put together a date night in at home. It is a fun way to try out a new dish we have been meaning to attempt, watch a good movie, and bring a little romance into our living room without having to go out.
For this particular night, we decided to commit to an Italian theme. As we couldn’t decide on one single dish, we decided to make up our own unique pasta recipe.
Our appetizer of bruschetta and bread crips.
Date Night In Vegan Pasta Dish
Ingredients
1/2 cup of chopped kale (I chopped mine very small, but it is all personal preference)
1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes chopped
handful of diced sweet roasted onions
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 garlic clove diced
2 tbsp of olive oil
Sprinkle of Himalayan Sea Salt
pasta of choice (we went with spaghetti pasta from AnnA)
Directions
1. In a pot, bring water to a boil. As you are waiting for your water, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer, add your garlic and turn the heat to medium. When the garlic turns golden, add your mushrooms and sauté until they begin to turn soft and change color. Add your kale to the pan, and sprinkle a pinch of salt (I use Himalayan pink salt) and pepper.
2. Add your pasta to the boiling water, reserving about a cup of water in the pot. Turning the heat to low, add your sun-dried tomatoes and sweet onions to the pan.
3. Once done, drain the pasta and transfer to a serving dish. Pour vegetable mixture over the pasta, adding an optional drizzle of olive oil. Top with basil or bread for a garnish (remember, tonight is about the ambiance).
Serve and enjoy!
We decided to skip on the red wine this night and instead went with a sparkling glass of Pellegrino water.
Jerry decided to become our third wheel.
Since we were staying in for our date night, I wanted to be comfy yet cute. I opted for a sweater, leggings and, last but not least, fluffy socks. I topped the look off with a dark lip, gold hoop earrings, and a messy bun.
No date night in is complete without a movie, or two. To continue with our Italian theme, we watched the first God Father. We ended the night with a few episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Despite our full bellies, we munched on popcorn topped with Earth Balance butter and Himalayan sea salt.
Have you ever created a date night at home? If so, what did you do? If you haven’t before, what would be date night ideas that you would be interested in trying?
Also by Hillary: Fall Into A Deep & Dreamy Sleep With These Podcasts To Ease Your Insomnia
Related: Love: 20 Ideas for Fun, Inexpensive Dates
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Photos & Video: Hillary Fink
