February is in full swing, and I can’t believe that Valentine’s Day is NEXT WEEK!

Now, I know some of you don’t really care for Valentine’s Day, or don’t consider it a “real” holiday, but I think it is a great day to remind yourself of the ones that you love, not just your significant other.

If you do have a significant other, often times there can be a lot of pressure to buy a big present, jewelry, or go out to an extravagant dinner.  In my book, those things are not necessary to show the love when Valentine’s Day comes around.  One of Brian and my favorite things to do together (Brian may feel differently) is cook a nice dinner together that feels somewhat “fancy” and tastes really good.  It is fun to spend the time working together and bonding in the kitchen, and when it is time to serve the meal we can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment!

Not too long ago, I was playing around in the kitchen and created this healthy, delicious, and fancy-tasting meal that includes dessert!  I couldn’t help but think that this would be a perfect meal to make together for a date night or Valentine’s Day.

Portabella Pizzas.

Now, if anyone in my family is reading this post, they are probably falling off of their chairs right now in shock because for as long as I can remember, I have been a mushroom hater.  That’s right, I can’t stand the site, taste, texture, or thought of mushrooms.

One time, about a year ago, I tried a sample at the grocery store of a seasoned portabello mushroom and I actually enjoyed it!  After that I dabbled with bites of Brian’s meals that included the giant mushrooms and was never satisfied.  Suddenly, when I was at the grocery store, I had the urge to purchase my own portabello mushrooms to cook them up in a way that I thought suitable.

I wanted to use them as pizza crusts.

Even though I am NOT a mushroom lover, I thought that these pizzas tasted fabulous and I can’t wait to try them again 🙂

This recipe is so simple, and it’s a great recipe to get two people involved if you are cooking a date night dinner.

Portabello Pizzas

Yields: 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2-4 Mushroom caps
• Olive oil
• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Your favorite pizza toppings: olives, peppers, veggies, pepperoni, sausage, anything you want!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Begin by gently removing the mushroom stems and wiping the mushroom caps with a wet paper towel to remove any excess dirt.  Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and garlic for seasoning.

Place the caps in the oven to cook for 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms are baking, prepare your toppings.  Brian and I topped our pizzas with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic stuffed olives, but you can top your pizza with anything you want!

Once the pizzas are done pre-cooking, remove from the oven and allow each person to top his or her own pizza with sauce and toppings of choice.

Place back in the oven and allow to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melty.

Remove from the oven and ENJOY!  Brian and I enjoyed our mini pizzas alongside steamed broccoli for an added veggie kick, but you can totally eat these with anything you are craving 😉

Now, I mentioned above that I had a delicious dessert recipe that pairs perfectly with this meal.  These healthified brownies are seriously to die for, and you would never guess what the secret ingredient is when tasting them.

3 Ingredient Black Bean Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix (mine is Ghirardelli Double Chocolate)
• 1 15 oz can of black beans
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I chose Peanut Butter & Co’s White Chocolate Wonderful)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drain then mash up your black beans in a blender or food processor until they are a smooth consistency.  Once smooth, mix the black beans and the brownie mix together in a mixing bowl.  The batter will be thicker than normal, but this is ok!  Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, spread into a 13×9″ pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Melt the peanut butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melty and runny.  Drizzle the peanut butter over the top and take a knife to swirl the peanut butter throughout the brownie mixture.

Bake in the oven for the time listed on the brownie box (this time varies depending on the kind of pan that you use).

Enjoy after your delicious date night meal of portabella pizza!

If you are in need of some other date ideas, you can read about my Christmas present to Brian here!

Have a happy Wednesday!

What are some of your favorite ways to spend a date night?