Sweet and Spicy Dressing

The combination of the sweet honey mustard, paprika, and cumin make this dressing sweet with a nice spicy kick.

It is super easy to make and will be wrapped up in five minutes.

This dressing will be perfect to flavor the roasted eggplant and chickpeas quinoa salad, and will  also be an ideal addition to empanadas (recipe to come very soon), or as a sauce in a vegetarian wrap.


For 100 milliliters of dressing:

• 2 tablespoons of honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Preparation Time: 5 minutes


Start by grinding the cumin seeds in a mortar. If you don't have a mortar, you can smash them with a rolling pin, or use pre-ground cumin.

Once the cumin is ground, all the ingredients are ready to be combined.

Add all the ingredients in a salad shaker, and shake them well together.

That's it, the dressing is ready! Reserve in the fridge until serving.

Enjoy on your salad, as a condiment with empanadas, as a sauce in a grilled eggplant-avocado-red onion-feta panini, or inside a chicken-grilled-cheese sandwich, or anything else you might think of.

Feel free to add any suggestions, which could beautifully accommodate with this dressing.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Mayonnaise

A mayonnaise is often a good addition to your meals; it marries perfectly with French fries, burgers, shrimps, potato salad, boiled eggs, our recipe for refreshing starters, and so many more.

Here's a simple recipe for a mayonnaise, you won't even need a hand-mixer; a simple fork or even a whisk will suffice. But just a quick tip, the ingredients have to be at room temperature.

You will need:

• 1 egg yolk*
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard (according to your taste)
• Some vegetable oil (the more you add, the more mayonnaise you will get)
• Some salt
• Some pepper

Preparation time: 5 minutes


Making a homemade mayonnaise is actually quite easy (and so much better than the one in the tube). 

You just have to follow these few steps.

In a bowl, mix with a fork (or a whisk) the egg yolk and the dijon mustard.

Then add a little bit of the vegetable oil and beat with the fork until the mix becomes smooth and thick.

Once you mayonnaise became smooth and has thicken, add a bit more of the vegetable oil, and beat with the fork until the mix becomes smooth and thick, and so on.

Here's the consistency, the smoothness, and the thickness of how your mayonnaise should be.

Finish by adding some salt and pepper according to your taste, and give it another good whisk.

Reserve in the fridge until you serve it.

*Tip: Don't throw away your egg white, refer to our "Let's not waste anything!" page, and check out few ideas on how to use your egg whites.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Pesto Sauce

Pesto sauce is a very easy dressing to make, and will be whipped up in about 5 minutes.

The following ingredients are for 2 to 4 portions, so feel free to adjust your quantities if you are cooking for more or fewer people, or according to your taste.

You will need:

• 1 1/4 tablespoons of basil (fresh basil is better, but dry basil works too)
• 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil (If you like your pesto a bit thinner, add another tablespoon of olive oil)

Preparation time: 5 minutes

In a bowl, mix the basil and the parmesan cheese.

Then add the olive oil and give it a good mix.

And voilà, you just made your own pesto sauce! Wasn't that easy!?

You can keep your pesto sauce in the fridge for a few days. But remember to give it a good stir when you take it out of the fridge, before using it.

*Note: You can use your pesto sauce with our Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad recipe.

You can also use it with pasta, chicken, pizzas, or salad dressing.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad

With summer just around the corner, let's make this Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad that will accompany your barbecue quite nicely.

It is a very easy recipe to make, and will be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. Just remember that the penne have to rest in the fridge for 45 minutes.

The following ingredients are for 2 to 4 portions, so feel free to adjust your quantities if you are cooking for more or less people, or according to your taste.

You will need:

• 125 grams of mini-penne pasta*
• 210 grams of chicken breast tenders, or chicken breast wholes.
• 15 to 20 cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/4 tablespoons of basil (fresh basil is better, but dry basil works too)
• 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 7 to 8 minutes

Resting time: At least 45 minutes in the fridge

Start by cooking your pasta per the package's instructions (in my case, it was 7 to 8 minutes for al-dente pasta).

In a pan, pour a bit of olive oil, heat up your pan, and place the chicken breast tenders to cook.

Once one side is cooked, turn the breast to cook the other side.

Turn one more time until you get a nice brown coating.

Let the pieces cool down few minutes, and then cut them into pieces.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half ...

... and if it bothers you like it bothers me, remove the core of the tomatoes.

Prepare your pesto.
In a bowl, mix the basil and the parmesan cheese.

Then add the olive oil and give it a good mix.

By that time, the mini-penne should be cooked.
Strain the pasta into a strainer, and then pour some cold water on it to cool it down.



All your ingredients are now ready to be stored in the fridge, giving at least 45 minutes for your mine-penne to cool down.

It is now time to assemble your salad ...

... which will be only four simple steps.

First, pour your mini-penne in the salad bowl.

Second, add the cherry tomatoes.

Third, add your chicken pieces.

And finally, after giving your pesto a good stir, add it the the salad, and mix. (If you like your pesto a bit thinner, add another tablespoon of olive oil).

And voilà, your Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad is ready.

Now it is time to fire up that barbecue, and enjoy!

*Note: I used mini-penne, because I think it is more pleasant to eat the mini version of the penne with this salad, but feel free to use some other pasta such as elbow macaroni, penne, or bow-tie.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond