Simply chic 3 : For the Pleasure of Cooking , livre ebook

Editor-in-chief: Caty Bérubé
Author: Cassandra Loignon
Editorial Production Team Leader: Crystel Jobin-Gagnon
Content Managers Team Leader: Laurence Roy-Tetreault
Content Manager: Lauréanne Hallé
Writer: Raphaële St-Laurent Pelletier
Revision and Assistant Team Leader: Marie-Christine Bédard
Production Assistant: Catherine Fortier
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Graphic Designers: Sonia Barbeau, Sheila Basque, Marie-Chloë G. Barrette, Karyne Ouellet and Josée Poulin.
Studio Director: Christine Morin
Chefs: Benoit Boudreau (Team Leader), Richard Houde and Alexandra Roy.
Food Stylists: Geneviève Charron, Alexandra Guévin Thibault, Maude Grimard and Joséphine St-Laurent Pelletier.
Photographers: Jean-Christophe Blanchet, Michaël Fournier, Rémy Germain, Marie-Ève Lévesque (Team Leader) and Thierry Pateau.
Photographers and Videographers: Tony Davidson and Francis Gauthier.
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Administration
President: Caty Bérubé
Vice-President of Operations: Julie Doddridge
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LEGAL DEPOSIT: 4 th quarter 2022
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and Library and Archives Canada cataloguing in publication
ISBN 9782896581863 (EPUB)
(Original French printed edition: 9782896589029 (2021)
PDF: 9782896581696 (2022))

Government of Quebec. Tax credit program for book publishing–Gestion SODEC
© Pratico Édition, 2022.
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Cassandra Loignon
Simply Chic
For the Pleasure of Cooking

Acknowledgments
The first person I would like to thank is my husband, Max. He encouraged me from the very beginning to present my recipes on my social media platforms. I was afraid that people either wouldn’t like them or that they just wouldn’t be interested, but Max convinced me that the worst that could happen was that I would mess up, and that if I didn’t try, I would never know. He really helped me win the extra confidence that I needed to take that leap of faith.
My mother also played an important role. School was a challenge for me, and thinking about my future was a source of stress. I saw my sisters and my friends who succeeded, but as for myself, it was harder. My mother always encouraged me. One day, she said to me, “You know, Cass, if you do what you love, you will be happy, and when we are doing what we love, it shows. No matter what it is that you choose to do, if you love it, you must give it your 100%”. She made me realize that what is more important than the “career” is to be passionate about what you do. She was also the person who helped me to have confidence in myself in the kitchen. It is not what I do professionally in life; that is to say, I don’t work in restaurants or on TV as a chef, but my background and studies have been in the food industry.
I would also like to thank those around me and personally say to you as well— thank you! Thank you for your encouragement, for trusting in my culinary creations, in my techniques and in my ideas, for following me in this adventure and for continuing to try out my recipes and even to buy my books to prepare your meals. All that, to me… it’s already just so amazing! Even today, it’s so surprising for me to see that so many people love my recipes and cook with them!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A Word from Cassandra
Again, many thanks!
The enthusiasm for my first two volumes really took me by surprise, and even today, I find it hard to realize that so many people love my recipes. Basically, I had never written a cookbook before, so I had no idea what to expect. After all, I’m not a famous chef; I’m just someone who loves to cook and share my passion. Personally, whenever I would buy cookbooks, I always had the same problem: if one or two recipes really interested me, and if, when I tried them, they weren’t “wow”, I would simply put the book aside and never use it again. When I found out that people were using the recipes from my books in their own kitchens quite often, and that they hoped that I would publish another volume, I was elated and grateful! It truthfully means a lot to me.
In the continuity of Volume 2, for this Third Volume, I created a variety of recipes which had been requested of me, both by those around me and by the public in general. To innovate, I have also added snack ideas, and, by popular demand, a section dedicated to breakfast. There are also recipes I’ve been working on since Volume 1, but I had not yet perfected. My recipe for fresh pasta is a good example. Now that it’s ready, I’m very excited to present it to you!
As the idea behind my books is to eat like in a restaurant any night of the week (and remain simple and easy), I would never have imagined sharing recipes with even more detailed steps of preparation, for fear that some will find them just too complex. But, since many of you asked me for more sophisticated recipes for Christmas or for other occasions, I had the idea of creating the “Saturday Evening” section and to bring together a little more gastronomic recipes for those who want to challenge themselves or surprise their guests. Thanks again Marissa for this beautiful idea! This is actually the section of the book that excited me the most!
I also became interested in healthy foods and their effects on the body. Of course, I continued to create chic and gourmet recipes, as in my previous volumes, but I also tried to integrate more foods that are beneficial to our health: a personal challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed working on!
I sincerely hope with all my heart that you will enjoy my new culinary creations and that they will make you want to try them (again and again)!
Once more, thank you so very, very much for your confidence and for your encouragement. It truly touches my heart!
Cassandra Loignon
My personal challenge:
to innovate and expand my knowledge
From one book to another, I like a little challenge. Because Max trains a lot, he asked me to prepare meals that would increase his energy and be as nutritious as possible. So, I started to read more about food properties and their virtues. Personally, I am especially interested in their effects on my skin, i.e., how to stimulate collagen and obtain better skin tone. The pandemic has also prompted me to learn more about how food can strengthen the immune system.
What I learned from my research is that we should be eating a wide variety of food to obtain the maximum amount of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients. Blueberries, peppers, cauliflower, beets… eat the rainbow!
I have a different approach to cooking now because I try always to remember the importance of consuming foods that abound in a variety of nutrients. In all the recipes in this book, I tried to integrate foods that provide benefits. A word of caution, however, I have not created a health cookbook: I did not remove the butter, the cream or the cheese, but I really took the time to select more conscientious choices to enhance my recipes.
For instance, in Volume 1, in my recipe for energy balls, I combined several ingredients based on their taste. For this volume, I was also concerned with improving the nutritional value of my recipes. For my dressings, I often used garlic powder, but now that I know that a clove of garlic is much better for the body, that’s what I favour.
Here is the list of foods I have tried to integrate more abundantly in my own personal daily regime, both for their positive effects on my general health and on my skin.

Berries
(Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, etc.)
They are full of antioxidants that help the body fight against free radicals as well as preventing aging, heart disease and cancer.

Fish
They are a great source of omega 3, or fatty acids which are so beneficial for heart health. I cook with several different varieties of fish, but I particularly like to work with salmon, cod and tuna.

Leafy greens
(Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc.)
They are rich in vitamins and minerals (vitamin A, calcium, zinc, etc.) as well as in fibres. They are essential for their anti-inflammatory properties and their protective role against certain cancers.

Nuts and seeds
They provide proteins that help support us during the day as well as good monounsaturated fats that help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pumpkin, sunflower, flax and chia seeds. Each variety provides different nutrients: vary them!

Oliv