Profiling of a Killer...Salad. Herb Alchemy 101 (4 Salads from One basic Recipe)

I was blessed to be a guest on the The Morning Scramble AZTV7 with the legendary PAT McMAHON and LISA SCHNEIDER-CIPRIANO.  It was one of the most pleasant experiences ever!  They were just simply adorable down there at the studio and warmly welcoming.  I always appreciate that!  It was such a treat! Oh mercy. I just said, "treat"...like my granny. It was such an awesome dude-fest rockin'-down party event. There. Phew. I can't use granny words yet. Oopsie Daisy.  {Crap. Just did it again. Granny word.} Ya know what? Who cares if I use a granny word? I don't.  

Okay. Photo opp:
Aaaaaa-freakin'-dorable. See?!

 On the show we talked about a few recipes and flavor profiles and I wanted to share them here on the blog.  Oh I also wanted to just kiss Pat...but I think he would have taken it wrong. Such a cool guy!  Lisa shared some really great stories about her culinary genius kiddos. She. Has. Triplets. I have no excuse for having a fat butt.  

Okay. Now...as for the recipes.  These are the ones I share in my herb and spice class, but in the class you will get a freakish ton more of information...and you'll get to taste the salads I make. So you should still come to classes darlings.  I do however realize that there are some of you who live waaaaay out of town and I have not forgotten any of you. 


Herb Alchemy 101 Cooking Without a Recipe

How many just read the words "herbs and spices without a recipe" and panic set in? I can hear you saying, "I don't cook like that! I need a recipe.” If that is you, then this post is for you. I want you to try to let go of your cooking inhibitions and think with your heart. If my 11 year old can do this, you most definitely can do it! I believe in you!

So to begin with a basic explanation, herbs are the aromatic leaves, flowers, and stems of plants and spices are seeds and the bark of aromatic edible plants. Fresh or dry herbs and spices will work in cooking applications, but make sure you smell inside the jar. If it smells like the spice or herb, then the stuff inside is still full of flavor. Most spices will need to be in ground or grated form for cooking or baking. If you don't have a spice mill (not many people do), then just buy them pre-ground. 

Below is the basic outline of some flavors that work together well. Follow the steps and you will find success.   

Step 1: Begin with the pasta salad base.

Chef Tess’ Pasta Salad 101

Basic Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked al dente and seasoned well with salt and pepper

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup carrots, shredded or chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced thin

½ medium red onion, sliced thin or chopped fine

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. 

Step 2: Make one batch of basic vinaigrette.

Basic Vinaigrette for Pennies a Jar! (FAT free available)

Ingredients:

¾ cup olive or vegetable oil (flavored oils are great)

¼ cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 tsp. fresh pressed garlic

Herbs and spices (see below for variations)

Salt and pepper

Directions: Whisk oil and vinegar with other ingredients in a bowl. Start with a half teaspoon at a time of the herb or spice you want to add and then sample. Adjust flavors according to your taste. For one batch of salad, you will need one batch of salad dressing. Want a fat free salad dressing? You can make this dressing almost completely free of fat if you have ultra gel and juice or broth! Use ¾ cup vegetable broth or juice in place of the oil. In a cold sauce pan, combine the broth or juice with 2 tablespoons of ultra gel. Add the liquid slowly and whisk well. Next add the vinegar and remaining herbs and spices, adjusting the same as above when tasting. Use the dressing immediately and keep refrigerated. If the dressing gets too thick, simply add a little more liquid to thin it out.

Step 3: Add flavor profile to dressing & mix salad. 

Dressing Variations These herb and spice suggestions are to be used in the basic vinaigrette recipe to customize the recipe to fit your need. Add the flavor combinations directly to the basic pasta salad recipe. Come up with your own and try mixing and matching fresh veggies as they are in season. You can even add seasonal fruit you like. For hearty dinners, add some roasted chicken or beef. Try marinating your meat in the vinaigrette to save a lot of money instead of buying those fancy bottles of pre-made stuff. You can do this! It can be very liberating, but for you folks who just want a grab and go dressing fix, just use the pre-made spice blends.


These are lists of flavors that work together for the cuisine you want to create they are not a complete list. They are intended to get you started. 

Italian

Herbs: Basil, rosemary, thyme, flat leaf parsley, marjoram

Spices: Fennel, caraway, crushed red pepper, celery seed

Flavoring: Hard cheeses like parmesan, asiago, olives, roasted peppers, citrus zest, capers

Greek

Herbs: Dill, oregano, rosemary, mint, parsley,

Spices: Fennel, anise, black pepper, dill seed

Flavoring: Feta cheese, olives, pickled peppers

Mexican

Herbs: Cilantro, oregano, thyme

Spice: Cumin, coriander, chile pods, black pepper, allspice

Flavoring: Lime zest, roasted corn, green onions, radish, black olives

Asian

Herbs: Cilantro, mint, lemon grass, sesame oil (use 2 tsp. in place of some of the oil)

Spices: Cumin, chile paste, curry paste, fennel, ginger

Flavoring: Lime zest, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, citrus zest, peanuts or cashews

©Chef Stephanie Petersen. 2011. All rights reserved. Copies NOT permitted without written consent from the author even for personal or church use! Chef Stephanie Petersen can be contacted at Stephanie@cheftessbakeresse.com and is Chef Tess on Facebook and Twitter. www.cheftessbakeresse.com 

There you go darlings. Begin learning some flavor profiles. I'll be posting more in the future! I promise.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Here are the blends that started it all!

 
The highest quality. The best flavors. A blessing to our family when you buy them here. Thank you so much.

Money Saving Cheeseburger Supreme Salad with Southern Fried Pickles!

Summer means Salad! How do you find a main course salad that the whole family can agree on? How about making a giant cheeseburger?!

Money Monday. This salad is a much less expensive and a much healthier choice than buying a bag of burgers and you can control the fat! We don't always serve it with fried pickles, but when we do,  I use my  Refrigerator Pickles for the fried pickles...Yes and the homemade organic "quake and bake" from organic ingredients.  Dip in my Homemade Ranch Dressing!  Other homemade condiments I use are here today are included homemade ketchup and homemade mustard.  Save money by getting your salad greens from the local farmer's market. The cost for this meal was just around 7$ for our family of 5! 

Cheeseburger Supreme Family Salad

Ingredients

6 sesame seed hamburger bun tops

1 pound 95% lean ground beef or turkey burger

Grilling seasoning (heavy on the garlic)

1 small red onion, sliced thin

1/2 cup sliced dill or sweet pickles

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

6 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce or shredded iceberg lettuce

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 plum tomatoes

Additional toppings: thousand island dressing, bacon bits or blue cheese crumbles if desired

Directions
Slice bun tops into 1/4-inch strips. If bun tops are very thick, slice bottoms off horizontally before slicing into strips).
Arrange in a single layer on large bake pan; bake 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees or until lightly toasted. Place on a cooling rack; cool completely.
Cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles. Season well with grilling seasoning of your choice.
Add sliced onion and cook a minute or two more. Finely dice pickles and add along with ketchup and mustard to the cooked beef. Remove from the heat.
To serve, arrange lettuce on large serving platter. Spoon beef mixture over lettuce. Top with cheese, tomatoes and sliced onion. Arrange hamburger bun croutons around edge of platter. Drizzle with Thousand Island dressing and sprinkle with bacon bits and blue cheese if desired Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings

Deep Fried  Pickles

Ingredients
24 very cold fresh kosher pickle wedged, drained and patted dry 

2 eggs, beat
2 1/2 cups Quake and Bake Breading (recipe follows)
Canola oil for frying

Chef Stephanie's Homemade Quake and Bake

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
2T parsley flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
2T onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground basil
1 tsp ground oregano
(yields 5 cups, which will make 2 batches)

Directions
Using only very cold dill pickle spears, dip pickle into egg wash and then coat with breading. Repeat until no pickles remain, and arrange dipped pickles on a sheet pan lined with waxed paper.
Chill for at least 20 minutes.
In a deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Alternatively, heat oil in a large, heavy pot suitable for deep-frying.
Carefully add chilled pickle spears, in batches, to the hot oil and fry for about 3 1/2 minutes or until golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Dip in ranch dressing

Chef notes:  I use my  Refrigerator Pickles for the fried pickles. 
 Dip in my Homemade Ranch Dressing or store bought.

Other homemade condiments I use are here:  homemade ketchup homemade mustard 

There you go!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Great Recipes for Left-over Easter Eggs

 I will be visiting 3TV Phoenix {Good Morning Arizona!} first thing this morning and I wanted to post the recipes from the show!  It will air at 9:45 this morning.  

If you're looking for something simple, these are for you. We're going to start calling these simple recipes Turbo-Simple! Fast. Easy. Simple. 

Chef Tess Baked Southwestern Chorizo Scotch Eggs

• 4 large eggs, hard cooked and peeled
• 2 Tbsp flour seasoned with 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• 4 oz good quality turkey sausage
• 4 oz chorizo or soy-rizo meat replacement
• 1 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
• Home-made dry breadcrumbs or a good quality crumb such as Panko
• Vegetable oil for brushing onto eggs.

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Dust the hard boiled eggs rolling them in the ancho seasoned flour.
• Place the sausage meats in a large bowl, add chopped green onion and cilantro and mix thoroughly.
• Divide the sausage meat into 4 equal portions.
• Form each portion into a flat cake large enough to fit around the egg. Work the sausage meat around the egg as evenly as possible whilst working hard to keep the egg shape and making sure there are no cracks. Place the meat coated eggs in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
• Roll the sausage coated eggs into the crumbs and press lightly to ensure a good coating.
• Mist generously with a spritz of vegetable oil, or coat lightly with oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cookie tray and pop into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Serve warm with fresh green salad and roasted chiles. 

Chef Tess Buffalo Chicken Eggs-n-Bacon Salad

• 4 hard cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• ¼ cup cooked diced bacon crumbles
• ½ cup lowfat mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp celery, chopped
• ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles, optional
• hot wing sauce (to taste)

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, combine all salad ingredients.
• Serve on fresh buns or salad greens drizzled with more wing sauce. 

We'll be serving the chicken salad up on croissants, since we'll be having a Homemade Croissant Class Tuesday night...Here. 

Happy egg dishes and happy wonderful Monday darlings! Xoxo!

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Granny's Green Fluffy Salad

It is one of those things. You know what I'm talking about right? The one salad that has to be at every family gathering. It is the one Great-Granny made and it is the sweet fluff that makes you smile and takes you back to your childhood. Maybe you're from another country and this doesn't apply, but in the last 18 years being married to Ace, this is the one salad that CG actually makes. Having her here in our home has been hilarious the last few years. She's a witty and remarkable lady.  She doesn't cuss anymore. I don't know where I got that name Cussin' Granny {we're not discussing that} but it is her nick-name here on the blog.  

At any rate, this week she's been talking about her new Texas Ranger.  
It is so nice. 
It is so sleek and stylish.

It is...her walker. 

Laughed my head off.

Back to the dinner salad. Growing up in the great state of Utah and the western United States you may relate to this little fact: 

We always have the green fluffy stuff at Easter and the 4th of July. Always. Sometimes we'd have it because it was Tuesday. Everyone had their version of it as well. Some people used cottage cheese with the marshmallows...as if it would somehow be more healthy. Seriously. 

CG's  recipe only has 4 ingredients. Yuppers. That's simple.  Note. It doesn't use the normal natural, clean, ingredients I normally use on the blog either. This is a special occasion salad. So relax for a minute and give me a second to be a little normal. I don't eat this stuff everyday...but on Easter.  Yes. 

Somehow I winkled the recipe out of Granny's recipe box and I'm sharing a picture of her recipe card:

It is very complicated to make. Seriously. Fluff it together. Chill it a bit. Serve it.

The end.

Now I know you are always hoping for complicated recipes in your busy life, but this isn't one of them and it isn't one of my gourmet classics. It is just a family favorite that we have on special days. With Easter, this seemed like one I needed to share.

There you go darlings! 


Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess 

Gon-zo Bean Summer Salad

Day 3 of the 90 day weight loss challenge. Lunch. I have lunch every day, and this one is being added to my list of  "freakin' YES"  food! Can we have a list like that? I think so.  We're calling it Gonzo salad because our bums are going to be "Gone-zo-soon"...right? Actually...there's a story here on the beans.  But, in the meantime, here's the recipe. Under 300 calories and  a full plate! Eat up darlings!

Tess Gon-zo Bean Summer Salad
Ingredients
2 cup mixed baby field greens
1/2 cup garbanzo beans or white beans (cooked or canned without salt)
1/3 cup yellow onion, medium, sliced paper thin
2 carrot, shredded in ribbons
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon sunflower seeds, hulled, dry roasted, unsalted
2T chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano and basil)
1 fresh minced clove garlic

Preparation...I cook beans. I love them. My favorite are these Pueblo beans called Mortgage Lifters.  If you've never made beans before, you can see the basic class information in the Beans 101 Notes . Or, you can just buy a can of cooked white beans or garbanzo beans.  We call garbanzo beans Gonzo beans at my house. Seriously. Don't ask me where that started. I think it was because we'd eat them so fast that they'd be gone-zo-fast...but I think it is because my husband Ace likes the Muppet's and Gonzo was such a lovable bear...who never cooked beans.  Like I say. Don't ask me where that name started.  After the funeral we had a lot of ham and I always have a lot of beans. So, I cooked up a pot of Mortgage Lifters with a good amount of ham and some lovely carrots. Random side note...if organic carrots are on sale at your local farmer's market and your kids put 5 bags in your cart...just buy them. It was the best dollar I ever spent. 

 Combine greens, beans, onion, and carrot in a large bowl. I like to use my vegetable peeler for the carrots and shred them like ribbons. They just give me a good crunch. 

 Blend lemon juice in a small bowl with herbs and garlic. Drizzle over salad. I recommend chopping the herbs first. 

 Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Hey, did you know that 2T of sunflower seeds has 9 grams of fat and 81 calories?  I know right? That's something to watch when you go to a salad bar. 

This is what the finished salad looks like. For under 300 calories I had a full plate of happy, 12 grams of fiber, 11grams of protein and 29 net carbs. Happy girl. Happy dance around the test kitchen. Are we seeing a trend here on the dancing around the Tess kitchen?  

Nutrition Facts: Yield 1 serving
Calories 290, Calories from Fat 90, Total Fat 10 g, Total Carbohydrate 41 g, Dietary Fiber 12 g
Protein 11 g, Vitamin A 380%, Vitamin C 70%, Calcium 10%, Iron 20%

Onward and upward my darlings! There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Do You Know about Purslane Salad and the Omega's in your weeds?

There has been a lot written lately on using Purslane As Food. This is what Purslane looks like my darlings. Have you been pulling it from your garden and throwing it away? Well...have you?
The new trend it to actually plant Purslane for Omega 3′s in your garden! Who knew? Once a weed, now a healthy garden green. It is actually really unique in flavor and delightful!  When the owner of Harper's Nursury  (John Harper) here in Arizona asked me to share my fabulous  Purslane Recipe with his readers I was excited! Today we went on down and picked some purslane up from their nursury. Every time we are there at Harper's, my boys insist on feeding the dolphins goldfish in their pond. It is amazing how big those bad-boys are! The fish...not my kids.

 One of them actually comes out of the water and is almost on the land when one of us comes to the edge.

 While I was there I also noticed the 7 varieties of basil that they had! Wow!! In light of the fact that I'm teaching a herb and spice class tomorrow at Honeyville farms on the the medicinal and culinary uses of herbs and spices...this was just awesome to see!

Look at this basil!

Shall we make Thai food tonight?!

I'll probably save it for the class tomorrow and be giving some of them away!

 Between the gorgous herbs at Harper's and the Love Grow's Farms organic veggies...we're good to go!

 Here is my Purslane Recipe

Chef Tess’ Citrus-Mustard Grilled Zucchini Salad with Purslane and Tomatoes
 • 2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1 tsp orange zest
• ¼ c fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing zucchini
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 zucchini (1 3/4 to 2 lb total), halved lengthwise
• 12 oz purslane, thick stems removed (4 cups)
• 10 oz pear or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Make dressing:
Whisk together zest, lemon juice, shallot, mustard, and salt in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until dressing is emulsified. Whisk in pepper and parsley.
Grill zucchini:
Lightly brush zucchini all over with oil. When fire is hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 1 to 2 seconds), grill zucchini, cut sides down first, on lightly oiled grill rack, uncovered, turning once, until zucchini are just tender, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and cool slightly, then cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Toss zucchini with purslane, tomatoes, and dressing in a large bowl. Serve immediately.

There you go! Make some weed purslane salad! Isn't it cool to try new things?!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Chef Tess Quinoa Pistacho and Feta Salad Video Tutorial

This is one I wanted to share, since I've been eating quinoa salad all week and am just sooo in love with it. I also want to say a big thank you to Honeyville  for sponsoring this video! It's a great tutorial on how to make this universal grain salad. Try it made with almost any cooked grain. It's just beautiful!

 Go to the recipe post on the blog : Here. 


There you go! Make some Quinoa Salad. Can I ask a tiny favor of all of you?  If you want to see more videos like this one, click through the video and visit the Honeyville Foods You Tube Channel. The more likes and shares these videos get, the better chance of seeing a whole lot more just like it.  Xoxo! Thanks my darlings! 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess 

Universal Grain Summer Salad: Today with Quinoa Pistacho and Herb with Feta and Olive Oil

When I was visiting my family my sister kept saying Queen-Oh-Ahh. I had no idea what she was talking about until she said, "you know...that grain you use a lot on your blog." I had to smile. If you've never cooked with it or seen it this may be a new adventure for you. Let me start by saying that it's pronounced "Keeeen-Whaaah". Grain surgery continues today and I want to share this wonderful summer salad that I made for my cooking class this week. It's remarkably easy and I think perhaps my favorite summer salad. You can certainly use other cooked grains like wheat (Kamut, Spelt or regular red or white) barley, millet, or wild rice even. It's versatile for using with a mixed grain pilaf as the base. Mix up the herbs to reflect your mood  using my herb and spice alchemy.  There's also ideas on what flavors work together best in my post on Homemade Salad Dressings. So I hope to give you some more ammo here. As for today and the grain we're using for this Salad...Quinoa.
 Quinoa  has been cultivated in the Andes for more than 5000 years! Locally referred to as the "mother grain", it kept the Incan armies strong and robust. It's a protein powerhouse and considered one of the best sources of complete protein and amino acids by the United Nations. It's gluten free. Plus... look at it.  I fell in love the first grain that I ate. It is slightly nutty flavored and mild with amazing texture. If you've never cooked it, there's a full tutorial in the subject on my blog :here . There are a couple of tricks to cooking it and having it come out perfectly, but honestly it's one of the easiest grains to cook and I'm totally in love with it.


You will need to cook 1 1/2 cups quinoa. This will give you about 5 cups cooked and fluffed grain. 


Chef Tess' Quinoa Pistachio and herb salad with Feta and olive oil
Ingredients: 5 cups cooked quinoa
1T each chopped FRESH Parsley, Thyme and Rosemary
1 Clove fresh pressed garlic
1/3 cup Crushed Meyer Lemon Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil or an olive oil of your choice
2T Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar or balsamic vinegar of your choice
1/2 cup coursly chopped pistachio
1/2 cup feta cheese
Zest of one lemon
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste and 1 tsp of my Chef Tess
Romantic Italian Seasoning. 

 Pour olive oil and balsamic into the cooked grain.

Add the chopped fresh herbs.

 Chop the pistachio.

 Press the garlic.

 Mix it all up. Add salt Romantic Italian Seasoning and pepper to taste.

 Top with Feta.

 There it is. Low in fat. High in flavor. Excellent for the summer. It's a meal if you want something light an luscious.

Keep using your giant GRAIN! xo. Big hugs my friends. 

--Chef Tess