Belated Valentine's Day Dinner

Paul and I couldn't go out on Valentine's Day this year because it fell on a Tuesday. He works late on Tuesdays, and I go to bed at 8 p.m. every night because my work day starts at 4:30 a.m. So we put off dinner for a night when we both had time. And that night finally came last Friday. 

My parents mail a Valentine's Day card every year with a check to pay for our dinner, so we had some money burning a hole in our pockets. We had planned to go to Ciao Bella, a vegan-friendly Italian place. But we didn't make reservations, and Ciao Bella was packed with an hour wait. So we called Seasons 52, our go-to date night place. And they said they could fit us in. 

So we made the 10-minute drive from Ciao Bella to Seasons 52. And when we got there, a different hostess told us it'd be an hour wait. Dang! Luckily, there were two spots open at the bar, so we grabbed those and opted to eat our dinner there instead of at a table.

We started with the Grilled Artichoke and Lemon Hummus app. This was our first time trying this, and we were both blown away by those chargrilled chokes! The lemon hummus was good too (though a little heavy on the tahini). 

For my entree, I got Winter Gnocchi. The gnocchi is always the only vegan entree option, but the sauce and toppings change with the seasons. I'd only ever had this in the summer with a tomato and veggie base, so I was excited to try the winter version. It had a butternut squash sauce with sweet potatoes, kale, and mushrooms. 

One note: The menu does list this dish with mozzarella, so leave that off. The rest of the gnocchi is vegan. The summer version is naturally vegan, but they add cheese in the winter for some reason. I loved this winter variation. It was hearty and filling, and the whole meal felt pretty darn healthy.