Reed Alexander Makes Salsa at the YH Studio

We're here with Reed Alexander.

We're so excited that you are back.

Thank you. It's so great to be here, Young Hollywood. I can't even tell.

You said that you had young Hollywood withdrawals and I didn't even know that was such a thing.

Believe just diagnosed. It is like a worldwide epidemic. I'm not the only one.

Really? You're the first one to tell us about it.

I'm coming forth, right?

So the last time you were here, we were talking a little bit about Cool Bites. Now, it's a lot about Cool Bites. Congratulations on your book. This is so exciting.

Thank you so much. So excited.

I know you're on a tour. So you're like a you're like a cooking rock star. I want to know what it's like going on the going on the tell me about where you've been and going on the road with this book. It's the tour bus.

So much fun. We've been coast to coast all over the country, having a great time here in LA. been in New York City and many other great cities in South Florida. We're going to hit Chicago, and the Northeast, and the Midwest, and we're going to be in Grand Cayman, and really all across the USA to share these recipes.

I am an East Coast junkie, so I love the Big Apple. So let's talk about the book. How did it So 100 recipes in the book. And how did you choose them?

I had so much fun when I put together the table of contents. I really wanted to represent a big mix. So we say Cool Bites, 100 nutritious, delicious, and family-friendly dishes. And when I thought about what I wanted to cook, a couple of inspirations. Number one, food I crave. Apple pie, chicken nuggets, pizza. Who doesn't love things like that? And a little person here, President Bill Clinton.

Yeah, we all love him. He's quoted on the cover. Now how did that come about?

Well, President Clinton is amazing. He's a great friend and mentor to me. We work together for his Clinton Foundation, the Alliance for Healthier Generation. We've been traveling across the country visiting schools and speaking at his annual summits on health and also launching a fantastic campaign, 18,000 schools, 30 million kids getting to eat recipes that I created for Cool Bites.

And congratulations on Huffington Post. So tell me a little bit about that.

Thank you so much. I'm really thrilled to be launching my very own column that I'm going to be writing for Huffington Post. Love HuffPost. They have some great, fantastic contributors, everyone from Oprah to some of the most iconic people in various different fields and arenas talking about so many different topics.

So who would be your dream interview? Who would if you could interview?

A dream interview. Such a tough question. I would say either Oprah, or the Queen, or the Sultan of Brunei.

You're aiming low. Not too ambitious.

I'm starting small, right?

So we are going to have a little cooking today. This is the first time we've done this at Young Hollywood. I'm so excited.

Yeah, I cannot wait. So we're going to be cooking. Are you hungry?

I'm very hungry. I'm always hungry. 1:00, right? 1:00, right? I'm never actually

South of the Border salsa. That's what we got on the menu. And you know what? I love this recipe especially now heading to college. Always thinking about being fast-paced, recipes that are quick. I can get out the door, grab the groceries, and whip it up in in just a jiffy. And I think if you don't have a kitchen in your dorm or you're at home and you're looking for an amazing party pleaser, people love this salsa. It's satisfying. It's fresh and it's good to go. So are you ready to get your hands dirty? Are you ready to dig in? All right, so we made it easy. Our tomatoes are all chopped and ready to go. I'm going to try to remove some of the seeds in this case because it takes out some of the moisture so you don't have like that super watery salsa. And then.

People love salsa. That's such a good point. Right? Good tip. Oh, that's a really great tip. Okay. Something to think about.

Super easy to do. So if you want to toss in, we've got some red onion. I've got some cilantro. Just toss the whole thing in. Oh yeah, go for it all the way. And have you ever used herbs like cilantro? They're really fresh and bright.

I know nothing about all of this stuff. So I'm the perfect person to tutor.

We'll have a cooking one on one. So we've got a little bit of Serrano chili. If you like a kick, I'm not using too much. So you don't want to use all of it.

Uh, you can go for the whole thing.

But the the real trick is to try to remove the seeds there as well. Got some garlic if you want to toss that in as well. I'm going to add our coarse salt. And then lastly, do you want to do the honors?

You do it. You're so good at this.

Okay. We've got some cumin and that is my very favorite spice in this recipe. Do you want to stir for us?

Yes. Okay, I was going to use this.

Oh yeah, either one.

See this is how little I know. And while you do that, you're doing an amazing job. You're quite the pro chef. I know. See I need you in my kitchen. For encouragement. Okay, we need encouragement. Yes. You got it. Anytime. Usually I just have stress when I'm cooking. I love that that lime just squirted out everywhere. I know, right? Take cover. I'm sorry about that. Exactly.

So grab a pita chip. Dig in. Whole grain pita. You can buy these or you can just cut up a whole wheat pita bread and then toast it in the oven and it gets really crispy and you're good to go.

That's so fantastic. You like it? One of my favorites. The cumin in it is so amazing. Doesn't that bring it to life?

I'm so glad you love that.

How did you find that ingredient and know to put it in the salsa?

I go on supermarket safaris. I have known to walk down those grocery store aisles aimlessly and leave with like ten baskets of groceries. Oh my gosh. And dessert. I love. I'm a sugar person. So there's a great chapter on dessert.

Oh, so what's one of your favorite?

My mini chocolate lava cakes. No contest, right? They're so good.

Oh, really? So how do you make chocolate lava cakes more more healthy?

Okay. egg whites to really make like a souffle. It's airy, and it's just like biting into a cloud. I use dark chocolate. I even sneak in a little bit of fiber there as well through some really great ingredients. Cut way down on the butter. And when you break into them on top, you get this lava flow of cocoa bliss. They're so delicious.

They're coming back. Next week and you're going to Can you can you bring me those next week? Totally. Can you bring them to my house? Bring, bring, let me know. So great to have you here. Congratulations on the book. And the tour, you rock star. So much of the best. Should I call you Bono?

That's uh, pretty high stakes. Bono doesn't have a cookbook. Just saying.