Chicken with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

This is an easy chicken dish that tastes so flavorful thanks to the combination of perfectly ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. Fantastic for a late summer dinner!

Serves 4

• 4 chicken cutlets or 2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded thin = 4 escalopes de poulet fines
• Salt & pepper = sel et poivre
• A few tablespoons flour = quelques cuillères de farine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil = 2 cuillères à soupe d'huile d'olive
• ¼ cup white wine = 60 ml de vin blanc
• ½ cup chicken broth = 120 ml de bouillon de poulet
• 2 tomatoes, chopped = 2 tomates, coupées en dés
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream = 2 cuillères à soupe de crème fraiche liquide
• A few basil leaves, chopped = quelques feuilles de basilic frais, ciselées

Season cutlets with salt and pepper, sprinkle with flour and shake to remove excess.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Sauté cutlets on both sides and transfer to a plate.

Deglaze pan with wine and cook until almost all evaporated. Add broth and return cutlets and their juices to pan. Cook for a couple minutes until done. Transfer cutlets to a serving platter. Stir chopped tomatoes and heavy cream into sauce in the pan. Heat through and pour over cutlets. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Dill Potato Salad

I am not a big fan of potato salad when it's drowned in full-fat mayo. So be warned: my version is not really creamy. If you want, you can even substitute half the light mayo for Greek yogurt, it will add a nice tang. Don't omit the celery, its crunch and flavor really work well here.

Serves 4-6

• 6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed clean and diced = 6 pommes de terre rouges, nettoyées et coupées en cubes
• 3 eggs = 3 oeufs
• 1 large celery, finely chopped (about ½ cup) = 1 grosse branche de céleri, coupé en petits morceaux
• ½ cup light mayonnaise or veganaise = 100 g de mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice = 2 cuillères à soupe de jus de cornichons doux
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard = 1 cuillère à soupe de moutarde forte
• Salt & pepper to taste = sel et poivre
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried, for garnish = 1 cuillère à soupe d'aneth fraiche ciselée ou 1 cuillère à café séchée, pour décorer

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook eggs stand for 10 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.

In a large bowl, mix mayo, pickle juice and mustard. Add potatoes, eggs and celery and stir gently until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until chilled or overnight. Garnish with fresh dill before serving. Enjoy!

Salsa & Black Bean Stuffed Avocado

All fat is not created equal. There is actually fat that's good for you and avocado is a perfect example. It is also nutrient-dense, providing multiple vitamins and phytochemicals that help keep your body healthy.

For a quick appetizer or lunch, stuff the avocado with any type of fresh chunky salsa or pico de gallo you like: the traditional tomato/onion/cilantro is fantastic but a fruity mango salsa would work too. Add black beans to boost the protein and fiber benefits. Serve as soon as you make to prevent the avocado creamy flesh from turning black.

Serves 4

• 2 avocados, halved and pitted = 2 avocats, coupés en deux et dénoyautés
• sea salt, to taste = sel
• 1 lime = 1 citron vert
• ¼ cup fresh salsa or pico de gallo = 4 cuillères à soupe de salsa
• ¼ cup (cooked) black beans, drained = 4 cuillères à soupe de haricots noirs (cuits)

Season avocados with salt and squeeze lime over each half.

In a bowl, combine salsa and beans. Divide evenly between avocado halves. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Tropical Bars

This one is a splurge for sure! It's perfectly sweet and tasty and frankly, it is quite challenging to eat only one square. Make sure you pick the ripest mango and pineapple so their fruity flavors really shine through.

Makes 16 or 20 squares

For the base:

• 1 cup sifted flour = 100 g de farine tamisée
• ½ cup butter, softened = 115 g de beurre, ramolli
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar = 3 cuillères à soupe de sucre glace

For the topping:

• 2 eggs = 2 oeufs
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar = 175 g de sucre
• ¼ cup flour = 30 g de farine
• ½ teaspoon baking powder = ½ cuillère à café de levure
• pinch salt = une pincée de sel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract = 1 cuillère à café d'extrait de vanille
• ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts = 50 g de noix de macadamia concassées
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut = 40 g de noix de coco râpée
• ⅓ cup chopped pineapple = 65 g d'ananas coupé en petits dés
• ⅓ cup chopped mango = 65 g de mangue coupée en petits dés
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips = 50 g de chocolat noir

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, butter and sugar until smooth. Spread thin in an 8” square pan, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt, and stir well. Fold in all remaining ingredients (except chocolate) and spread mixture over baked base. Put back in the oven and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then lift out of pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt chocolate and drizzle over cooled pastry. Let chocolate harden for a couple hours and cut into 16 or 20 squares. Enjoy!