Easy Meals to Impress Your Man

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. One hears tales of how a recipe won a man's heart, "Oh!, he was floored by my cooking!" stories and how a sinful aroma can bring a smile on the face of even the most Neanderthal of men. There's an old joke that cavemen would choose prospective mates, based on the aromas wafting out of a cave! Jokes aside, most second dates involve a romantic dinner and this is the time to whip out those oven mitts, mixing bowls and ingredients to create something impressively delicious, so the second date progresses into a third... then a fourth. And if you have a steady man in your life, once in a while he needs to be reminded that the only kitchen in town worth eating at, is yours! For those of us who are not the crème a la crème of cooks, some easy meals to impress a guy are the need of the hour. Don't waste time searching. Scroll below for cold, hot and mixed recipes, easy to make, easier to eat.

Meals to Impress a Guy - Salads

Turkey Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 cups apples, diced
• 2 cups turkey, cooked and diced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• Salt
• Mayonnaise

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the mayonnaise and salt.
• Add mayonnaise as needed to bind the ingredients. The salad should be thick, not liquidy.
• Season with salt and pepper and chill if needed.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups boneless chicken breasts, skinned and roasted, then chopped
• 4 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup avocado, peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (9 ounces) whole-kernel corn (no-salt variety), drained and rinsed
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Firstly, prepare the salad's dressing in a separate container.
• Mix salt, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, chipotle chile, sour cream and cilantro in a bowl.
• In a large bowl, toss chicken, lettuce and other vegetables well.
• Using a spoon, lightly drizzle dressing over the salad, then toss gently and serve.

Roast Beef Salad With Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces roast beef, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces goat's cheese, crumbled
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 small lettuce heads, torn into thin pieces
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix vegetables, beef and cheese.
• In a different bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, oil and ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
• Over the salad, drizzle this syrup generously, tossing the salad from time to time.

Mixed Fare Meals that Men Love

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:

• 400g spaghetti
• 200g flat pancetta, sliced into thin strips
• ⅔ cup or 50g Parmesan, grated
• 3 eggs and 1 extra yolk
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 100 ml thick cream
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Sauté pancetta over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• When pancetta turns crisp, add chopped garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
• Remove pan from heat and leave to cool.
• Cook spaghetti as per packet's instructions, drain and keep aside.
• In a bowl, combine eggs, yolk, Parmesan and cream.
• Add salt and pepper as desired, then mix gently with a fork.
• In a cooking pan over low heat, combine egg-Parmesan paste and pancetta.
• Add spaghetti and parsley. Toss lightly to mix pasta and sauce.
• Let the sauce thicken, so that the egg will cook over the pasta. Stir pasta from time to time. Serve hot.

Mushroom and Tomato Frittata

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes, diced into small wedges
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup parsley leaves
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced into thick strips
• 75g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter (unsalted)

Directions:

• Set the grill on high heat. In a non-stick pan, melt the butter at medium heat.
• Fry the mushrooms and tomatoes for 3-4 minutes, stirring in the middle.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. Add cheese and parsley. Stir well.
• Then add the cooked mushrooms and tomatoes. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
• At medium heat, melt butter in a pan and add the egg mixture. Stir briefly, leave it to cook for 5-6 minutes. Check if the frittata is golden underneath.
• Place pan under grill for 3-4 minutes, such that the top of the frittata is golden and set. Place the frittata on a board, divide it into half and serve hot.

Mexican-Style Eggs

Ingredients:

• 2-4 eggs (Opt for 1 or 2 eggs per person)
• 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 can red enchilada sauce (10 ounce sized can)
• ½ can refried or black beans
• Salt

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 300º F. Place the tortillas on top of each other, wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Cook the beans in a saucepan such that they simmer and bubble.
• In another pan, heat the enchilada sauce such that it simmers. Form a well of sauce around each egg.
• Crack the egg into the well, cover it with the sauce well. Do this for each egg being used.
• Cover the pan. Let the eggs cook for 5-7 minutes, depending on how soft you want the yolks.
• On a plate, place 2 tortillas, spoon a generous amount of beans on them. Then spoon the eggs on the beans.
• Garnish with enchilada sauce. You can be creative and use toppings like grated cheddar, sour cream and salsa.

Oven-baked Meals to Cook for a Man

Easy Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 packets frozen cheese ravioli, 30 ounce size (do not thaw the ravioli)
• 1 box frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
• 1 jar pasta sauce, 26 ounce
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking tray. Layer the bottom with 1/3 of the pasta sauce.
• On the sauce, place 12 ravioli and sprinkle the chopped spinach over them. Add half of Parmesan, then add half of the mozzarella cheese.
• Place another layer of ravioli and spoon the leftover sauce and cheese over it.
• Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Take out the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes till the cheese on top starts to bubble.

Chicken Tortilla Pie

Ingredients:

• 12 corn tortillas, lightly toasted
• 2 cups dark chicken meat, pre-cooked and shredded
• 1 can (4 ounces) green chillies, diced
• 1½ cup green salsa
• 1½ cup "Mexican blend" cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
• Place 4 tortillas at the bottom of the pan.
• Top tortillas with 1 cup of shredded chicken, ½ cup of salsa, 1/3 cup of sour cream, half of the diced chillies and ½ cup of cheese.
• Place another layer of 4 tortillas on top of this layer.
• Top once again with the same amounts of chicken, chillies, cheese, salsa and sour cream.
• Make a last layer of tortillas and top it with remaining quantity of chicken and other ingredients.
• Bake pie for 30-40 minutes, until cheese topping starts to bubble and turn brown.

The above recipes are simple enough to make, yet complex enough to elicit "Oos!", and, "Aahs!". For all the men out there, it wouldn't hurt for y'all to get in the kitchen and try your hand at cooking to impress your woman!