IMPRESS THE GUY: 5 First Date Recipes (that won't ruin your diet) Click to learn how you can easily impress your crush with your cooking skills. If you can't win him over, the food will.

Hey, guys! This is a guest post by my lovely boyfriend, who loves food. We brainstormed some ideas and thought it would be great to feature some relationship-related content, and get a guy’s opinion on a few topics. Enjoy!

So, you finally took the courage to ask that guy out, you have a thing for, and you convinced him that you can impress him with your cooking skills. But to be honest, you have drawn a blank, and you just started on a paleo diet.

You really want to impress him on your first date, but you do not want to indulge yourself in a mighty, greasy feast to please your chosen, and you did just start a new diet. As a member of the male side of the human race, I have kindly been invited by my lovely girlfriend, Juliana, to share my opinion on the matter.

Even though men are not THAT picky, we still have certain preferences and opinions about our beloved food. So here is my idea of five impressive dishes, with different twists and vegetarian recipes that would not even scare me away on a first date. The list consists of one starter, three main dishes, and one dessert.

1. Grilled Avocado Caprese Crostini

First-date-dinner-tips-Grilled-Avocado-Caprese-Crostini

@cafedelites.com

Assuming you want to put a good effort into your first date, you should consider serving three courses, but do not worry. It can be done relatively easy.

This dish is an alternative version of the classic Italian starter, or “antipasti”, caprese bruschetta. This is certainly a dish I think very highly due to its simplicity and intense tomato flavor and the smooth mozzarella.

For this modern version, you will add avocado, along with 6 other ingredients, and you will have a great savory starter in less than 10 minutes. But it gets better: it’s filled with protein, 13grams per serving, and has a relatively low-calorie count. Though it is ‘just’ a great glorified toast, its sure is and looks delicious.

2. Butternut Squash Lasagna

Impress the guy: First Date Dinner Ideas - Butternut squash lasagna

@yestoyolks

As a male, with loads of male friends, I can honestly say that the majority of them claim that their mom’s lasagna is the best in the world, and so do I.

That is why, you should be able to hit somewhere close to the food-bullseye with this hearty vegetarian late-autumn lasagna made with butternut squash, sage, and goat cheese. The creamy and rich veggie lasagna is relatively light, but if you feel the need to decrease your calorie intake even more, choose a low-fat cheese instead of the given cheese from the recipe.

If my girl served this to me, I would not mourn the lack of meat. It simply looks so good and warm, perfect for a cozy night under the covers in front of the fireplace. Luckily the butternut squash season has just begun and it continues until mid-March.

3. Mustard Burgers with Crispy Goat Cheese & Fig Onion Compote

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@yestoyolks

A wise man, Benjamin Franklin, once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”.  I disagree. There is a third certainty of life. Boys and men in all ages LOVE burgers.

On the other hand, this magnificent creation in all its forms and variation is not as popular in the eyes of the more elegant and beautiful side of the human race. But it certainly helps when the burger comes in a form of this extraordinary and, in my opinion, a quite elegant burger.

In many ways, it has the best of both worlds, which means your chosen crush won’t be running away when you tell him about the main dish. You get the sophisticated input through the fig compote and fried goat cheese, and he still gets a meaty cheeseburger. So roll up your sleeves and get to work, he is going LOVE this one, I know I would. *wiping drool off the keyboard*

4. Chicken Noodle Soup

Impress the guy: First Date Dinner Ideas - chicken noodle soup

@bakerbynature

It recently occurred to me how much I love chicken noodle soup, and with the cold and dark days, slowly but surely, creeping up on us, it is a great meal for a night in. Yes, I know it is not the easiest kind of food to elegantly chow down, but if you truly like this guy, and vice versa, I am sure you can overcome each other’s monstrous sipping sounds while enjoying this all-time favorite.

Basically, if you cannot win him over, this soup will. Though the cooking time is one hour and ten minutes, you should be able to prepare the first mentioned “Grilled avocado Caprese crostini” in the meantime. This soup has it all.

Seasoned oven chicken, soft warm veggies, and a soup with a flavor to die for. To keep the soup at its healthiest use whole grain, or god forbid, soy noodles in the soup. Finally, the amount of garlic in this soup should fight off any approaching flues and vampires, so you can enjoy the rest of the evening care-free.

6. Key Lime Pie

Impress the guy: First date dinner ideas - key lime pie

@haveanotherbite

The first time I ever had the pleasure of having key lime pie, I instantly fell in love with the light creamy and delicately sour consistency and flavor, add some whipped cream to round off the flavor. Since it was on Thanksgiving Day I will forever connect this dessert to the fall holidays.

Once again, there are alternative ways of making this dessert. This recipe uses oat cookies and whipped cream. For a healthier alternative, I suggest using whole grain cracker or cookies and low-fat Greek yogurt which is loaded with proteins and has a great natural flavor. The cooking time is a total of 55 minutes. I suggest making this first, as it definitely does not become less delicious with a couple of hours covered up in your refrigerator.

 

I hope you found the tips, from a male perspective, fun and useful, and remember you can always just make a starter and a main or a main and a dessert (and pair them however you like).

Anyway, any given guy would be lucky to have you if you served anything like what I have suggested.

Good luck!