6 Grain Red Bean Pilaf with Grilled Garlic Jalapeño Chicken

 Healthy, whole-grain, budget-friendly meals are one of my specialties! This recipe uses Triticale, Red Wheat, White Wheat, Barley, Oat Groats, or Rye interchangeably. If you use all of the grains, it is very colorful and has a more significant nutrition range, but there's no wrong way to make this! I know it will surely be a hit at your dinner.

6 Grain Red Bean Pilaf

1 1/2 cups Whole hard red wheat, white wheat, oat groats, barley, rye, or triticale
3 cups Organic Red Beans, canned, drained
2 Tbsp. Montreal-style Steak Seasoning
3 Tbsp. Garlic, minced

Directions:

• Add 6 cups water to the grain in a 4-quart slow cooker on high for 1 ½ hours to cook the grain. Drain the grain well.
• It should make about 5 cups. After the grain is tender, add the remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes more on high.

You can use any combination of those whole unrolled grains or one grain by itself, as long as it equals 1 1/2 cups of uncooked grain. The cooked amount of grain will be 5 cups.

Grilled Garlic Jalapeño Chicken

Marinade:

4 Jalapeño, seeded and chopped fine
3 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Olive or Avocado Oil
1/2 cup Lime Juice
2 tsp Sea salt
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper

8 Chicken and leg thighs

Directions:

• Combine the first six ingredients and whisk well.
• Retain 1/2 cup of the marinade for drizzling over the chicken after cooking. In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, combine the chicken with the remaining marinade and place in the fridge overnight (up to 3 days).
• When ready to eat, bake in a covered cast iron dish for 20-25 minutes until the internal temperature is over 165 degrees.
• Finish cooking on a BBQ grill or a stove-top grill pan. Serve over the 6 Grain Red Bean Pilaf.

There you go! Make a delicious and healthy whole-grain meal today!

Always My Very Best,
Chef Tess 

1 Week of Meal Prep Recipes for Health, Fitness and Saving Money

 Over the last year or so, I've been making an effort to prepare fresh meals for the week ahead of time. Part of this is has been to save money, since there's less tendency to opt for the last minute take-out meal if there's food already prepared at home. The other part of this, has been that I've been really trying to watch what I eat for health reasons.  So, today I'm going to share a few menu's and base recipes that can make several different flavorful meals.  Those who've been following my blog for a few years know that this is something I do regularly and it was the basic idea that I used on my TV show in Las Vegas. It just saves so much freakin' time! Different from my Meals in a Jar, this is fresh food. Most of these can easily be put in the freezer as well, so it's possible to have them on-hand for longer than a week. I make at least two of each of these meals, that way I have some for lunch and some on hand for dinner. This also ensures that my teenage boys will also have healthy choices available.

14 meals

Grilled Chicken 5 ways with Bell Peppers and Vegetables
Grilled Shrimp with Multi-Grain Stuffed Bell Peppers
Smoked Maple Salmon Slaw with Sprouted Quinoa

 Grilled Shrimp with Multi-Grain Stuffed Bell Peppers

yield 2 meals

• 12 oz shrimp, peeled and veined
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic infused Avocado Oil
• 5 mini bell peppers, cut in half and seeded. 
• 1 cup cooked mixed grains (wheat, oats, triticale, or rye)
• Chef Tess All Purpose Seasoning
• Red pepper flakes
• Green onions

 Directions: Saute shrimp in avocado oil. Remove from the pan and divide between two freezer safe meal containers.  Saute the bell peppers in the pan until tender. Arrange around the shrimp. Fill each pepper with a Tablespoon of cooked mixed grains.  Season well with all purpose seasoning, pepper flakes and green onions. Chill immediately.  To reheat, microwave 2-3 minutes on high. If frozen, 4-5 minutes.

 Smoked Maple Salmon Slaw with Sprouted Quinoa

yield 2 meals

• 12 oz. Smoked Salmon filet 
• 1 tsp. Maple Syrup
• 1/4 tsp Chef Tess All Purpose Seasoning
• 4 cups cole slaw greens
• 10 drops stevia
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. garlic infused avocado oil
• 2 Tbsp. fine minced onion
• 1 tsp. poppy seed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup cooked sprouted quinoa

Directions: Grill the salmon until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with maple syrup and season well.  Divide salmon between 2 meal containers. In a large bowl, combine the slaw greens, stevia, vinegar, oil, onion, and poppy seeds. Season to taste. Divide between the two meal containers, next to the salmon.  Divide the quinoa between the containers, 1/2 cup each.

Grilled Chicken 5 ways with Bell Peppers and Vegetables 

yield 10 meals

A few weeks ago I shared how I've been on a real chicken kick the last bit and experimenting with a ton of flavor ideas to add some real jazz to my family's table with very little extra effort on my part. Yes, I do use Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil in this recipe. They sent me several cases of it to play with and I've been super impressed with the high smoke point and buttery flavors that it adds to my cooking. A high smoking point, by the way, is the best way to ensure that you won't be adding free radicals to your diet. 

One batch of marinade base will season 3 lbs of chicken breasts (about 10 breasts). Just baste them well in the marinade base.  Divide this marinated chicken into 10 meals in 5, quart-sized freezer bags with 2 breasts each to give you the meal variations. It's the perfect amount for a fast meal.  Then, simply combine the flavor ingredients in the quart sized bag with the breasts.  Allow to marinate at least an hour in the fridge, but I prefer overnight.  Then, drain marinade and bake or grill as desired. 

OR for bolder  simpler flavors:  Marinate all in the chicken in the marinade base, drain and bake/grill and then top each breast with the flavor variations in the serving dishes, as you would for a BBQ rub. The flavor will marry with the chicken as it sits in the fridge or freezer for service. 

Marinade Base

1 cup  Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

Here's the flavor options:

Lime Poppyseed

Add 3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds 

2 Tbsp. lime zest 

Greek Festival

To base add: 

3 Tbsp. fresh minced dill

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp.  ground fennel seeds

 Garnish with kalamata olives and diced red pepper after cooking.

Orange and Onion Balsamic

To base add: 

3 Tbsp. orange zest

1/4 cup garlic

1/4 cup minced white onion

Raspberry and Rosemary

To base add:

1/4 cup raspberry juice concentrate 

1 Tbsp. minced rosemary

1 tsp fennel, ground

Hawaiian Pineapple Orange Guava

To base add:

1/2 cup Pineapple Orange Guava Juice concentrate

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 Tsp. garlic

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

There you go! Now line up 10 meal containers and put one of each of the chicken variations in each container. Add 1 cup of grilled bell peppers  and steamed vegetables to each container and you're set!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Freezer Friday: One Simple Marinade Base to Make 5 Unique Marinades

I've been on a real chicken kick the last few days experimenting with a ton of flavor ideas to add some real jazz to my family's table with very little extra effort on my part. Why? Because school started this week.  I've got a ton to do.  I don't need to worry about dinner on top of everything else in my zany but perfect nut-fest of a life. Right? 

 We all  need recipes like that! Today I'm saving you the effort of having to test a bazillion ideas. These are keepers...all of them! I'm really partial to making the base and putting it a gallon bag a few times, then just adding the flavor additions to the separate bags.  Then add chicken and throw it in the freezer! It's marinated and ready to bake or grill when you defrost it later. Boom yes!  Yes, I do use Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil in this recipe. They sent me several cases of it to play with and I've been super impressed with the high smoke point and buttery flavors that it adds to my cooking. A high smoking point, by the way, is the best way to ensure that you won't be adding free radicals to your diet. 

Marinade Base

1 cup  Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

One batch of marinade base will season 1 1/2 lbs of chicken. It's the perfect amount for a fast meal.  Simply combine the ingredients in a gallon sized bag and transfer chicken to the bag.  Allow to marinate at least an hour in the fridge, but I prefer overnight.  Then, drain marinade and bake or grill as desired. 

Here's the flavor options:

Lime Poppyseed

Add 3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds 

2 Tbsp. lime zest 

Greek Festival

To base add: 

3 Tbsp. fresh minced dill

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp.  ground fennel seeds

 Garnish with kalamata olives and diced red pepper after cooking.

Orange and Onion Balsamic

To base add: 

3 Tbsp. orange zest

1/4 cup garlic

1/4 cup minced white onion

Raspberry and Rosemary

To base add:

1/4 cup raspberry juice concentrate 

1 Tbsp. minced rosemary

1 tsp fennel, ground

Hawaiian Pineapple Orange Guava

To base add:

1/2 cup Pineapple Orange Guava Juice concentrate

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 Tsp. garlic

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

There you go! Easy and delicious marinades to make your life simple!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Low Carb Thai Hot and Sour Red Cabbage Miracle Noodle Stir Fry with Sweet Soy Glazed Chicken

So, it's week three since I started seeing my awesome Tribrid Personal Training genius.  I want to say that it's easy and that I'm just breezing through the workouts, but I would be lying. It's heck. The first two workouts I actually puked. The workout today I actually cried a little (because it was hard... and I'm a sissy). Planking makes me feel like an old lady. That being said, Chris, my trainer is brutal (good). He's killing me...and I almost like it. Stockholm syndrome much? Bwhaha! Seriously though, it's been really good for me to have some accountability with someone who has a vested interest in my success. 

 One of the hardest parts of any fitness journey is finding good recipes that taste amazing and keep me full. So I wanted to start sharing a few of these here on my blog when I make them. It seems like whenever I post one of them on Instagram, I get a lot of requests for the recipe.  

When I made dinner tonight, my 14 year old son actually told me that I didn't work in a restaurant anymore and that we could just have pizza.  It made me giggle. Mainly because he then proceeded to gulp down a huge plate of this and loved it. 

Win. Double win.

Why? Because we're talking about less than 300 calories per serving, including the chicken! Less than 7 grams of fat, 42 grams of protein...are you seeing this?

One of the secrets to this dish, is  Angel Hair Miracle Noodles.  I don't work for them. I bought these myself because I am a foodie nerd and I love new adventures!  If you've never heard of them, they are really weird...but cool.  They are 97% water, non-gmo, gluten-free, carb-free, calorie free. It sounds impossible. The first time I tried them I thought they were nasty, but that's because I didn't cook them correctly.  The secret for me was to actually pay attention to the part of the package where it says to dry them out after you cook them. They only take a couple minutes to make, but really pay attention to the preparation directions.

The other secret to keeping full and hydrated for my workouts is the awesome use of Chia Seed...The Buzz word in Super Grain. It holds 10 times its weight in water and is loaded with omega 3's...that's the good stuff.  It keeps me full and gives a good boost to your fiber too!

 I get mine  at my favorite online grain store: 

Here

Are you ready to make this? 

 Chef  Tess Lo-Carb Thai Hot and Sour Red Cabbage 

Miracle Noodle Stir Fry

1 1/2 cups red cabbage, shredded
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 package  Angel Hair Miracle Noodles

Directions: In a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame oil. When very hot, add the onions, celery and cabbage. Stir fry until onions are tender, about 4 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, except the noodles. 

Just before serving, add the noodles and stir well. 

My Fitness Pal Nutritional for this recipe Yield 3 servings, 117 calories, net 13 low impact carbs, 5 g fat, 3 g protein.

Add 4 oz chicken breasts and 1 tsp chia seed per serving: add 180 calories, 39 g protein, 1.5 g fat. 

Total meal: 297 calories, 13 net low impact carbs, 6.5 g fat, 42 g protein. 

There you go. Some good stuff for my favorite peeps.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

2 Chicken Dinners and Easy Homemade Stuffing (Full Video)

Cooking like a Chef-Boss has never been so easy! This is 2 chicken dinners, homemade stove-cook stuffing and the secrets to freezer-friendly potatoes all in one episode. That’s right! Today I'm back with incredibly delicious homemade convenience meals that will save you time, money and energy. Strap on your oven mitts and let’s get rockin’!


I am frequently asked how I make so many freezer meals so quickly. Here is the big secret. Sit down, it may be too much AWESOMENESS at once... It's called Dove tailing. You see it a lot in restaurants. One kind of meat 12 different sauces. This is basically how a lot of them do it. I think it's quite remarkable. I'm only using 2 sauces here today, but you will get the main idea. Don't worry, I will add a lot of sauce recipes along the way. This is the start.

First...I season and bake 5 lb of Chicken. Salt, Pepper, Garlic...you can use any "all purpose seasoning" out there. 5 lbs of legs and thighs is about $4 at my local Wal-mart. Gotta love that. It will make us 4 dinners. My kids eat a leg each, I eat a thigh, and my husband has all the side dishes because he thinks any cooked meat is just nasty. Ace is out of town this week. I am cooking FISH and CHICKEN and all kinds of animal stuff. Hint: side dishes .

Chicken Legs and Thighs

4-5 lbs leg and thigh meat (about 12 thighs)
2 T all purpose seasoning blend
Place legs and thighs on a large cookie sheet and season generously with seasoning blend. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (until juices run clear when pricked with a fork or temperature reads 170 degrees when inserted with a meat thermometer). Divide meat between three plates, 4 thighs each and season with three different sauces...today I did two.

Mustard Glaze: 

2T whole grain mustard

2T molasses. Mix and wipe all over the chicken....

Put in a freezer bag clearly labeled. Put in the fridge immediately. Once cooled transfer to the freezer. (I do this cool, then freeze thing so that I don't have a lot of medium temperature meat sitting in my freezer making germs grow...the quicker the meat gets cold, the less chance my family has of getting a food born illness...which is good.)

Pesto sauce: 

3T prepared Pesto sauce. I also added 2T chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

and 1T fresh rosemary leaves....

Put Pesto Chicken in a freezer bag and label clearly. Transfer to the fridge immediately and then once cool, to the freezer.

Now I have 2 of each of these dinners in my freezer. I will be doing a lot more of these so don't feel like you are being left out of any secrets.

Oh. To reheat the chicken, DEFROST and then heat in the microwave 5-7 minutes on a microwave safe dish, or heat in the oven (covered casserole) 350 degrees 20-25 minutes until internal temperature is over 150. Simple stuff.

There you go darlings!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Streets Fine Chicken in Dallas TX, Rambling Review

 Y'all know that if I don't like a restaurant, I don't give it a review on my blog.  As a general rule, I just think it is classy to only share what is awesome and not rip another establishment down. That being said, I was in Dallas last week with Evil TARA ...the original giant brain in my Evil Think Tanks ...see the ETT for details on how those kitchen shenanigans ensued.  At any rate, she's the one who originally said, "Steph, you should start a blog." To which I replied, "What's a blog?"  I had so much to learn and she opened the floodgate.  We've had a lot of fun along the way.  Now, back to Dallas.

During a two day visit with my remarkable friend, we were looking for a place to have a quick dinner.  We found this one.  Streets Fine Chicken

I should have known that I'd love it just based on the first few items on the menu...Chickarones, fried chicken skins with chili lime salt, and the chicken lollipops, smoked 'n' fried chicken drumsticks rolled in a Grand Marnier horseradish molasses.

 We ordered the lollies. How could we not?

They were fall-off-the-bone tender smoked  and then deep fried giving it a very unique crisp-tender contrast.  That perfect little drumette was then covered in this sticky-savory molasses that literally made me giddy.  The presentation was spot-on and the flavors were perfect. 

Next we got the Chickarones. In Arizona and across the country people have fried pig skins all the time.  I thought this was a brilliant use of chicken skin, plus when I bake chicken, I really love the crispy skin!  These were so crispy and warm with a mild chili and lime salt.   

 I think I can't admit how many of them I ate.  I was on vacation. Don't judge me. Seriously though, they were crispy heaven! They were everything one would expect in a fried pork skin, but with chicken...and way better than pork. Waaaay better. 

After that, we were on to the main stage.  They had two things that were their specialty.  Fried chicken and something called "Sin Killer Chicken".  Tara had had Peri Peri chicken in France and insisted that I'd love it.  I had to trust that, plus the description sounded absolutely divine!

We ordered it with the creamy baked brie macaroni and cheese.  I wish I had words to describe the flavor explosion. Tangy, sweet, spicy with hints of citrus and herbs then grilled to a tender perfection.  I was in love.  Life changing chicken.  I never say that, but this was awesome.

Sin Killer is flame grilled chicken marinated in olive oil, agave nectar, orange peel, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, onion, Peri Peri peppers, herbs and spices; There was also a light and super fluffy honey biscuit; creamy brie mac n' cheese made with gouda and creamy brie - baked then toasted to perfection. 

By the time we got to their signature fried chicken and roasted brussel sprouts, I could barely take a bite.  The few tastes I did have were really remarkable. It wasn't fried chicken that you could ever put in a bucket.  It was really delightful. 

Needless to say, I really adore this chicken place.  The service was every bit as awesome as the food served with a smile and a Texas accent.  Whenever I'm in Dallas, this will definitely be on my list of places to go!

There you go darlings! Go visit these guys!

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