Chef to the Stars will give demo at VC Library Sept. 14



The cover for “Flavor of Joy” by Kate McAloon, who will be giving demos of her recipes on September 14.

Chef-to-the-Stars Kate McAloon, who recently released a hardbound cookbook entitled “The Flavor of Joy,” will give a demo at the Valley Center Library, Saturday, September 14, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Yoga Room.

McAloon, will prepare three recipes from her book during the live demonstration. “There will be a Q&A after the demonstrations, but I love to take questions as I go along,” said McAloon, who dropped by The Roadrunner office a few days ago to talk about her book. 

She will also share some of her anecdotes of being the chef for celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson “The Rock,”  film director Steven Spielberg, Nick Offerman (of “Parks & Recreation”) and his wife Megan Mullally, Orlando Bloom, Courteney Cox and Sheryl Crow—and a host of others.

Although she has partnered with other authors in other books before, this is her first “my book.” As such, it very much reflects her, her philosophy of life, especially the belief that foods should be as delicious and fun to prepare as they are healthy. 

For an example of her food “philosophy” here’s a sample from her book: “Speaking of diets, I’ve been a vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, French food lover, sugar and carbohydrate lover and even a raw foodie, to name a few. Balance is key! I have finally discovered that I can actually have balance when it comes to food by being open and willing to choose my health and feeling good first. That is my best plan. If I slip (okay, when I slip), I get right back up as fast as I can and head back to what I know makes me feel good—not just momentarily, but for the rest of my life.”

McAloon is a world traveler who is staying in our area for a few months. She has been living for the last eight years in Australia, but now travels around the U.S. doing cooking class demonstrations, such as the one she will do at the library on September 14.

She was born in Tacoma, Washington, and grew up in a house situated 300 feet above Puget Sound, but has traveled most of her life, having lived in Los Angeles, Oregon, Hawaii, Spain, the south of France and Australia. 

For McAloon, cooking is a natural gift. “I kind of taste the world through my senses,” she says. “My mother was an excellent cook. I never planned to be a chef. It just came about. I ended up with celebrity clients and I do like writing and cooking.” She is often the Hawaiian food expert on cruises.

In the south of France she went to a French cooking school for fun, rather than the route that many professional chefs take. But she ended up working for a time in the kitchen of a Michelin starred French restaurant Moulin de Mougins and finding “my heart’s home, the Cote d’Azur.”

Her celebrities came to her because the word got around that she could cook healthy, great-tasting food. “Out of a need to have an income and a passion for food, Chef Kate was born,” she writes. One of her earliest celebrities was Nick Offerman and his wife. She cooked for them for three weeks. “People started talking. It snowballed. It’s given me a platform where I can inspire people to eat healthy and enjoy life,” she says.

In her book she writes, “When your food is fresh, organic, very tasty and deeply satisfying, you just naturally eat less and feel better.” That’s one reason that she loves Spanish tapas, which usually consist of several small plates of small bites of really good food. 

She calls her book “The Flavor of Joy” “because it can be joyful to bring people to the table.” When she’s cooking for herself and her clients she often doesn’t use recipes but relies on her intuition for what works—and the ingredients at hand. “You try a little of this and a little of that and if it doesn’t work, go out,” she quips.

Her book includes delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes and she gives alternative ingredients on many of them. “I was a vegetarian for nine years,” she says.

Her favorite chefs include Martha Stewart, “she’s always an inspiration,” and The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.

She invites Valley Center residents to come to her demonstration. “It’ll be fun no matter what, because I like fun!” 

The author has provided us with two of her recipes that you are likely to see her prepare at her September 14 demonstration. 

Hummus with fresh herbs and garlic in three colors.

Hummus with Lemon and Garlic

Hummus makes a wonderful healthy dip that’s great served with crackers and veggie sticks or as a vegetarian spread for sandwiches. It’s my go-to recipe for snacks and appetizers for my clients. It is extremely versatile and a great source of protein, calcium, magnesium and potassium. You can cook the garbanzo beans yourself if you have the time.

I’ve included beet hummus and ‘green’ hummus versions too.

NOTE — I suggest using a food processor to make the hummus because it makes it creamier, but you can also use a blender. When using a blender use a little more water and blend in 2–3 batches depending on the strength of your blender.

You can also use a Thermo Mix too and do 1 recipe at a time if you are making more than 1 recipe in total.

MAKES approx. 1½ cups

PREP TIME 10–15 minutes

Ingredients

1½ cups cooked (approx. 1 can) garbanzo beans, drained (reserve liquid)

2 tbsp tahini (optional)

1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

3 tbsp reserved garbanzo bean liquid or water (or more if needed while blending)

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp sea salt (to taste)

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

2 – 4 drops culinary lemon or lime oil (to taste)

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 1 minute, then stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula. You may need to add a little liquid if it is too thick while blending.

2. Check for seasoning and add a little more salt and lemon juice, if desired and continue blending until smooth.

Pink Hummus

Add approx. ½ cup coarsely chopped cooked beets, 1 extra tablespoon of water (to desired consistency) and up to 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup (to taste) to the original recipe. Try adding 1 – 2 drops culinary orange oil it really works well with the beets!

Green Hummus

Add approx. 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves to the original recipe. You can also add a few more tablespoons of fresh herbs and a little kale, if desired. Try adding a little culinary basil oil to this version…a little goes a long way so use the toothpick method with basil oil so you can control the amount and add a little more if desired.

Toothpick Method: Dip a clean toothpick in the oil bottle, swirl toothpick into the hummus, stir well, taste and repeat with a clean toothpick if you want to add a little more oil.

Coconut Chocolate Fudge Bites.

Coconut Chocolate Fudge Bites

These little protein-packed treats are delicious and easy to make! They are a favorite of my clients. Adding the culinary oil really makes the flavors pop! You can also use orange, tangerine or rose oil…rose is very strong and you need to use the toothpick method when adding to the fudge.

(Toothpick method…dip a toothpick in the oil bottle, then swirl into the fudge, mix well, taste and if you desire a stronger flavor use a new toothpick and repeat).

NOTE  Allow the nut butter to warm to room temperature or soften by placing the jar in warm water to make it easier to combine with the other ingredients. If you are nut sensitive you can use ground pumpkin or sunflower seeds in place of the ground nuts. You can use pumpkin or sunflower seeds spread in place of the peanut butter or coconut butter spread…it’s like peanut butter and delicious and you can find it in your health food store.

TIP  You can roll this fudge into bite-sized balls or just spread it into a container lined with baking paper and cut into little squares after it sets.

MAKES Approx. 15–20 balls or 30 – 40 small squares

PREP TIME 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter or other nut spread

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

½ cup finely ground almonds or other nuts

¼ cup honey or maple syrup (to taste)

½ cup raw cacao powder (extra for coating)

½ cup finely ground coconut (and extra for rolling them in)

¼ tsp sea salt (to taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

2 drops culinary, peppermint or spearmint oil (optional, to taste)

Optional Additions

½ cup finely ground almonds or other nuts

¼ cup goji berries, coarsely chopped

½ cup cacao nibs

½ chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

Method

1. Place all the basic ingredients in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and process until well-combined. You may need to stop the processor a couple of times to push down the side and continue blending. You can also combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well by hand to combine and it’s a great arm workout.

2. If you are adding any of the Optional Additions, transfer the mixture to a bowl, add ingredients of choice and mix well to combine.

3. Roll the mixture into balls using your hands or spread into a small baking pan or dish lined with baking paper. The size of the balls will depend on how big you want the fudge bites to be.

4. If you are making balls, roll all of them and set aside on a plate or tray. Place the finely ground coconut and cacao powder in 2 medium bowls. Roll balls in the mixture to coat. If making fudge, just sprinkle a mixture of cacao powder and ground coconut on top of the fudge and press it gently so it stays in place. The coating or topping is optional.

5. Serve the fudge bites right away or refrigerate for 1 hour or longer to set. The fudge needs to be refrigerated for at least 1–2 hours to set and then you can cut into pieces. The balls and fudge will keep up to 6 days refrigerated and up to 1 month in the freezer, but they are so good you won’t have to worry about this!

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