In my Kitchen with Cecily Paterson

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Welcome to a new little segment on the blog titled “In My Kitchen” where we get to visit every day cooks in their own kitchens.  Here at Eat My Street we are passionate about “good food for the good life” and I know that many of you are passion about exactly the same thing.

Today we are talking with Cecily Paterson.

Cecily is an emerging young adult/ tween author from Kangaroo Valley in NSW. With a national award in 2012 for her non fiction memoir, she now writes for Upper Primary and young teens. She is also a speaker, freelance writer and editor.  Her first novel, Invisible, was a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breaththrough Novel Award in 2014.

Cecily is also a Mum and wife and she also has a blog about her son’s experience living with autism spectrum disorder.  Cecily also publishes books on spirituality and religion. You can find her most recently release by visiting the Firewheel Press website.

Today we are joining Cecily in her kitchen, to find out a little more about her life, including how she manages to cook great food for her family despite a long list of allergies.

cecily solo

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

cecily paterson: I wear a lot of hats. Possibly too many; I have to work on not saying ‘yes’ to everything. At home, I’m a wife of one guy, mother of four kids and best friend of two dogs. At work, I’m a writer of young teen fiction.  In my spare time, I practice the cello, take my kids to things (netball, gym, violin lessons) and sometimes get my sewing machine out. And at 5pm every day, I think, “What the heck am I gonna make for dinner?”

2. What is your favourite recipe at the moment?

cecily paterson: Let me be upfront. Cooking is not my favourite thing in life. Food, I like a lot, but generally if someone else has cooked it for me. Part of the problem is the fact that four out of six people in my family have diagnosed intolerances to things like dairy, soy, oats, preservatives and malt. But I do love to make this simple slice.

· Recipe

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 Click here for the full recipe for Cecily’s no cook chocolate slice.
A cup of dates
A cup of a mix of any of the following: buckwheat, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coconut pieces or anything else you think would go in well.
2 tbps coconut oil
2 tbps cocoa
Throw in a heavy weight blender and blend for 30 seconds. Press into a tupperware slice container and set in the fridge. Eat when it’s firm.

Editor: We gave this a go and it produced a delicious and healthy slice. Yum!

3. Kitchen staples? Things you always have in your fridge and pantry?

cecily paterson: I have a weird array of gluten free flours, dairy free milks, and things like chia, flaxseed and millet. My mum looks in my cupboard and says, “I don’t know what anything is.” Ha ha. We always have cucumbers and carrots, because those are the popular vegies. In the freezer, I have bags of frozen vegies, because that’s what I eat for breakfast. We always have dates, cocoa, coconut oil and buckwheat, because those are the ingredients of my favourite no-cook chocolate slice. And I couldn’t do without coconut milk, Indian curry pastes, sushi wrappers and rice. A lot of rice.

4. Secret vice?

cecily paterson: 70% dark chocolate, particularly something by Alter-Eco. But it’s not a secret vice: there’s no secret about that at all.

choccecily

Ed: Alter-Eco is an independently owned fair-trade food company based in NSW. In face they are Australia’s first official fair-trade chocolate supplier. Thanks for the tip Cecily!

5. Most memorable meal

cecily paterson: I grew up in Pakistan. The best dish I’ve ever had was a chicken kurai, cooked with tomatoes, onions and coriander, with fresh naan on the side, from a restaurant called ‘The Cockroach’. And yes, it was called that because there were a few cockroaches.

Ed: This one sounds amazing although I am not sure about the cockroach part. Eek!

6. What are you currently drinking?

cecily paterson: Decaf tea. I don’t drink alcohol or juice – too many calories for a girl who runs to fat too quickly. And I can’t drink caffeine all day – I get drained by it. But a good cup of decaf tea, made by my husband, makes me very happy.

cecily

7. Do you have a favourite local venue to eat out?

cecily paterson: I live in Kangaroo Valley, NSW. I like a smoked salmon sandwich made by Charlie, from Charlie’s cafe, and the lamb cutlets by Gerald from the Bistro One46.

8.Do you have a favourite cook book?

cecily paterson: Jo Whitton’s Quirky Cooking is great. And I love Jamie Oliver too, but a lot of his food wouldn’t go down well with my kids, so I look longingly at his stuff rather than purchase it.

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9. Your favorite spot in your kitchen?

cecily paterson: Honestly: on the other side of the bench, watching someone else make the food, but that never happens, so I’ll say near the toaster and kettle, making myself a piece of toast and jam and then taking it to my desk.

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Do take a look at Cecily’s website- this is one talented lady!

www.cecilypaterson.com

If you know someone fabulous to feature on our next “In My Kitchen” post then please shoot me an email. danib@eatmystreet.net

Until then, happy eating!

Dani xx


Eat My Street is a website dedicated to “good food for the good life.” We post recipes, reviews, interviews and much more. Please visit us on Facebook or sign up, to keep up to date. Dani


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