Why should it be believed that only a man's stomach is the gateway to his heart? Women just as easily — perhaps more easily — get their fires lit by a man who cooks. And if the guy's really smart about it, he can parlay that spark from kitchen to the bedroom.

If you need help figuring out exactly what recipes will help this process along, consider L.A.-based food writer Mona Holmes' blog Cook This…Get Laid, a resource for men on how to use food to, well, get some.

If you're thinking indulgences like heavy cream sauce and rich desserts, you're off track already.

The blog is rife with health-conscious recipes. Why? Because according to Holmes, sinful dishes aren't necessarily going to get your lady in the mood for sinful behavior. As she told us in an email, “If you've just eaten a high-fat meal, it'll most likely put you to sleep. The biggest event turns out to being both of you knocked out on the couch. Or even worse, bloated and gassy. For a recipe to work in a Cook This…Get Laid context, it has to leave you energized, not put you in a food coma.”

Holmes figured out the sexy plus side to eating right via a not-so-amorous situation: She got sick. “A few years back,” she told us, “I had some health issues and was told that I would need to have surgery. Rather than being cut open at 33, I wanted to see what would happen if I altered my diet. I had such an amazing result on my health and overall feeling — that I knew I had to share it.

“I also wanted to figure out how get more men in the kitchen. When I started sharing the idea of healthy cooking, people (especially guys) weren't too excited about hearing the words 'healthy' and 'food' in the same sentence. I was frustrated, lamenting to my husband that I didn't know how to get through to men.

“I asked him, 'Honey, how can I convince men that preparing delicious healthy food is the way to go?' Without a beat, he replied, 'Tell them they'll get laid.' And my blog was born.”

Since then, Holmes has been posting recipes as well as how-to videos for the more visual learners among us.

If you're looking for a Valentine's Day menu for your lady, Holmes says roast chicken and peanut butter cups should do quite nicely. We imagine some red wine also couldn't hurt.

Good luck, guys.

Follow Squid Ink at @LAWeeklyFood and check out our Facebook page. Follow Ali Trachta on Twitter @MySo_CalLife.

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