Product Review: Tessemae’s
Dressings, Sauces & Marinades
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, WLC
(Plus Recipe Ideas & Discount Code!)
I cannot express how thrilled I am to be reviewing these products. Tessamae’s All Natural has got it all: an awesome back-story (started by a mom and her three boys), clean ingredients (check ‘em out – not a stinker among them), super cool wax-sealed bottles and most importantly, 100% delicious flavor. Here’s why I love their products, and some of the ways I’ve used them already, along with your code for 15% online orders!
My obsession love affair with Tessemae’s began a couple of weeks ago. I was at a regional CrossFit competition (where my box placed a heart-breakingly (<–yes, it’s a word) close second), and met Oliver from Tessemae’s. He was quite popular that day, not only because of his winning personality but also because he was giving away free samples. And if you know anything about CrossFitters, you know that we like to eat. All the time.
But we don’t like to eat crap. So everyone there was thrilled to be trying delicious, healthy, CLEAN salad dressings! Interestingly, just one week prior, I had been giving a talk at a women’s event on making-over your pantry. I very sadly explained that there were NO healthy salad dressings besides homemade. Prior to trying Tessemae’s, I had looked at every “natural,” “fresh,” and organic salad dressing I could find. All of them were made with cheap rancid oils that were nearly always GMO (even “olive oil” dressings are made predominantly of soybean oil), and flavored with garbage sweeteners to make up for a lack of genuine flavor.
I tried four varieties of Tessemae’s dressings/marinades that day (Lemon Chesapeake, Lemon Garlic, Balsamic and Zesty Ranch), along with their Hot Sauce/Wing Sauce (Medium). Each one was better than the last. In fact, I left the competition during a break to go buy a giant salad, just so I could cover it Tessemae’s dressing. (Oliver very kindly obliged and mixed together the Wing Sauce and Zesty Ranch for me. So good. Sooooo good.)
Besides just dressing my lunch salad for me, Oliver also sent me home with five varieties of Tessemae’s to play with at home and review here.
Why I Love Tessemae’s
I guess there’s no “big reveal” that’s going to happen in this review. You can tell I’m a huge fan. Here’s why:
*The base of all of the salad dressings is cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Not soy, not corn and not canola, but good ol’ delicious and healthy olive oil.
*Nearly every additional ingredient is organic.
*The ingredient lists are short. And they are all readable by my seven year old.
*All of their products are gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free (and so, Whole Life Challenge compliant, with the exception of Soy Ginger, which contains tamari).
*The flavors are outstanding. I’ll give product specific details below, but seriously, they are so, so good.
*Having them in the pantry greatly increased the amount of salad we eat. I’ve long wanted us to have salad every night with dinner. But after making breakfast, lunch and four million snacks during the day, and then making dinner, I almost never feel like making one more thing (homemade salad dressing), no matter how simple. With these in the pantry, it was easy to add salad to any meal. (And quite often for lunch, I would use a leftover protein and make salad the whole meal.)
*I get to support a small, local business! (Being based in Annapolis, MD, they are local to me.)
Hot Sauce/ Wing Sauce (Hot)
When I tried the samples, I tried the medium variety. It was a great amount of heat, with such delicious flavor (Frank’s who?). Oliver had a simple grilled chicken breast cut into strips and tossed with the sauce, and it was OUTstanding. I could eat it all day.
Here at home, I had the hot variety. Let me tell you: I AM ADDICTED TO THIS SAUCE. (Speaking of Frank’s, isn’t their slogan “I put that $@#& on everything?” Well, seriously, I put this $@#& on everything.)
Deviled Eggs
Is it possible to improve on deviled eggs? Only in one way: Add this hot sauce. Hard boil or hard bake your eggs (find the methods here). Once they’re cooked and cooled, slice them in half and remove the yolks to a small bowl. Now, I’m sorry about the lack of measurements, but add in, to taste: A dollop of mayo, sea salt and pepper, and some hefty shakes of Tessemae’s Hot Sauce. Blend until creamy, and fill in the whites of the cooked eggs.
Breakfast Hash
In the couple of weeks that I’ve had this sauce, I’ve probably made my breakfast with it ten times. Maybe more.
Basically, each breakfast is some random combination of:
Butter
Sliced onions
Sliced garlic
Ground beef or leftover meat from dinner
Eggs
Hot SauceHeat butter in saute pan. Throw in onions and sweat them down a bit. (Obviously you can tell by the pictures that I sometimes let them, um, caramelize quite a bit.) Throw in the garlic and move it around so it doesn’t burn. Then add in your meat and season with salt if desired. Move the hash to the side of the pan, add more butter if necessary, and fry an egg or two over there. You can either mash it all together, or keep them separate so they look pretty on your plate. Plate it, and dump Tessemae’s Hot Sauce all over it.
Even if you don’t have time for all that, a quickly fried egg – or even a hard boiled one from the fridge – covered in Tessemae’s hot sauce is delicious.
Matty’s BBQ Sauce
Barbecue sauce is something that I never really perfected making at home, so I am overjoyed to have a healthy and delicious one to buy. I wanted to come up with a recipe that was kind of unconventional, and so I made some steak with it. I’m usually not one to ruin a good steak with a sauce, especially a barbecue sauce, but this came out delish. Just give it a chance.
Rubbed Steak with Matty’s BBQ Sauce
*2 grass-fed sirloins, about 8 oz. each
*Steak rub: About 3 T chili powder, 3/4 tsp. each cumin and coriander, 1/4 t cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. each dry mustard and oregano, 1 Tbsp. sea salt
*Tessemae’s Matty’s BBQ SaucePreheat your broiler as high as it will go.
Combine the steak rub ingredients and rub each steak on one side very generously with it.
Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron or other oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is nice and hot, add the steaks, rub-side down, and brush generously with the BBQ Sauce.
Place the steaks under the broiler for five minutes. Flip the steaks over, brush again with BBQ Sauce, and broil for four more minutes for medium-rare. (My broiler goes to 500 degrees. If yours doesn’t go that high, or your steaks are very thick, increase the time as necessary.)
Remove from oven, brush one more time with BBQ Sauce and let rest for a few minutes.
(Read some more about this steak cooking method here. These would also be great on the grill, but I don’t grill (because grillin’ is man’s work).
)
PS – Remember the horribly staged picture I mentioned a few days ago? Yeah, that’s it above.
Lemon Garlic Dressing/ Marinade
Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic Dressing/ Marinade was actually a life-saver. Or at least a meal-saver. Long story short, I tried buying some wild-caught salmon at Aldi because it was soooo much cheaper than what I usually pay. Yeah, the reason it was cheap was because it was DREADFUL. It was the most pathetic, anemic color, and was really random scraps of fish sort of pressed together to shape a fillet… It was awful. The only way it was edible was because this marinade/ dressing was so good. I can only imagine how life-changing it would be on quality fish!
Lemon Garlic Salmon Salad
*Salmon fillets
*Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic Dressing/ Marinade
*Romaine lettuce, shredded
*Cucumbers, sliced and quartered
*Green onions, thinly sliced
*Capers, optionalMarinate salmon fillets in Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic Dressing/ Marinade for about 20 minutes.
Preheat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.
Meanwhile, combine the shredded lettuce, cukes and green onions in a large bowl. Add in Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic Dressing/ Marinade and toss very well. Divide among serving plates.
Add marinated salmon fillets to hot pan. Increase heat to high and cook for three minutes. Sprinkle with capers (if desired) and sea salt. Flip fillets over, and cook for about five minutes longer or until salmon flakes easily with fork. Do not overcook (unless, like me, you unfortunately buy salmon that is of such dubious quality that you are terrified to cook it any way besides well done :/).
Top each plated salad with a salmon fillet (along with capers from pan, if using). Serve with extra Lemon Garlic Dressing on the side.
Variation: Tessemae’s Lemon Chesapeake Dressing/ Marinade would also excellent be in this recipe!
Balsamic Dressing/ Marinade
How could I not have a special recipe for this delicious dressing?! Balsamic dressing is one of my favorite things in the world, and this one is outstanding. When making those last minute dinner salads I mentioned above, more often than not this is the dressing I would reach for. A favorite of the whole family, Tessemae’s Balsamic Dressing/ Marinade would also make an excellent marinade for chicken breasts or thighs, or even vegetables.
Where to Buy, Plus Your Discount Code
Tessemae’s products are now available in nationwide Whole Foods stores! Take a look here to see where else they can be found.
Thankfully, you can also purchase them online. Take a look at their selection – including the brand new Southwest Ranch, about which I am excited way beyond what is normal – here. And as my reader, you can receive 15% off using the discount code DISHRAG (good until 3.18.13). Go ahead and share that with your friends, and make sure to check out their “Rainbow Packs!” [Update, 3.6.13: Tessemae's is having technical difficulties, and you may not be able to enter the discount code. They are manually refunding 15% to every order that comes in. Thank you for your patience!]
More Recipes & Other Good Stuff from Tessemae’s
Find more recipes on their website, or follow them on Facebook and Pinterest. And speaking of Pinterest, here’s a recipe using Tessemae’s Wing Sauce that I just recently pinned to Lunch Ideas…
Which variety of Tessemae’s can you not wait to try?
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and Why It Must Be Organic
The last day of summer seemed like an appropriate time to wrap up the Summer Bounty series, although those of us here in Virginia can expect delicious local corn well into the fall.
Don’t you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer’s Market and can’t resist... - Recipe: Grain-Free Carrot Cake
Plus A Discount Code
Today I'm going to share one of two Carrot Cake recipes from Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts.
Because of some recent changes in our house, I'm focusing on Treat Yourself's grain-free and dairy-free Recipes.
And they are awesome.
Carrot Cake (I)
*1-1/2 cups almond flour (*See note below.)
*2 tsp. cinnamon
*1/2 tsp. cardamom (You could use more cinnamon, or even... - Easy Fish Recipe:
Miso Cod with Spicy Cucumbers
One thing I'm always looking to add to my kitchen repertoire is a good fish recipe. I think most fish is delicious when ordered in a restaurant; At home it's more like... edible.
But here's a recipe, adapted from Organic Gardening magazine, that tastes (and presents) like a fine-dining special.
Miso Cod with Spicy Cucumbers
*1/2 cup organic... - Summer Bounty: Fresh & Healthy Tomato Recipes for Gazpacho, Salsa and Even a Use for Your Green Tomatoes!
Don’t you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer’s Market and can’t resist a good deal, your kitchen may be overflowing with some of summer’s most prolific producers. Here are some new ways to prepare them.
Is there anything more delicious than a garden-fresh tomato? No,... - Summer Bounty: Easy Zucchini Recipes
Don’t you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer’s Market and can’t resist a good deal, your kitchen may be overflowing with some of summer’s most prolific producers. Here are some new ways to prepare them.
Joel Salatin once said something to the effect of, "The... - Easy and Delicious
Crookneck Squash Recipes
Don't you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer's Market and can't resist a good deal, your kitchen may be overflowing with some of summer's most prolific producers. Here are some new ways to prepare them.
Today we're going to focus on one particular kind of... - Ice Cream, Mangoes & Dates, Oh My!
(And Some Special Discounts…)
Did you enjoy yesterday's post containing those super yummy good-for-you ice cream recipes? Well, I have a couple more to share!
I recently read about using dates as a replacement for sugar in sweet recipes. So I decided to tinker with my coconut milk creation, and the results were fantastic!
Now, although I call this sugar-free,... - We All Scream for Ice Cream!
I'm taking a break from some pretty research-intensive posts I'm working on to write this fun - and delicious - one. :P
My wonderful husband took our youngest off for a Daddy-Daughter Date at King's Dominion on Sunday - along with driving the teenager and his friends down - and so after some morning babysitting I... - Against the Grain Winner
and DISCOUNT CODE!
I usually have my tiny one pick giveaway winners, but since today is my big one's birthday, I figured I'd give him the honors. He looks thrilled, doesn't he? :)
I am so excited to be able to give away a copy of Kate Tietje's Against the Grain. If you're just joining us and missed the... - In Season: Rhubarb
It's a delicious time to live here in Virginia. Farm stands and CSA shares are overflowing with late-spring crops. In season right now are June-bearing strawberries, asparagus, snap and snow peas, and irresistible rhubarb!
Did You Know...
...that rhubarb leaves are poisonous to humans (and some animals)? It's true! Whether raw or cooked, the leaves contain such... - Against the Grain
Review and Giveaway!
You might remember me mentioning that I have a new favorite, favorite cookbook. I'm thrilled to announce that this week I'm going to be doing a review and GIVEAWAY!! (Well, I guess since I already said it's my favorite, I really stole my own thunder for the "review," which is basically: It's great. Get it.)
Against... - Easter Feaster
OK, I know what you're thinking: This post would have been helpful about a week and a half ago when I was trying to plan my Real Food Easter meal. At this point, I really don't care what you had for dinner two days ago!
Well, I understand you thinking that. But consider this a very... - Anti-Nutrients & Oats, Delicious Recipes &
Exciting News!
Hopefully you remember when we began talking about anti-nutrients. Today we'll continue that discussion by focusing on how you can overcome the anti-nutrients in one of our favorite breakfast foods: Oats.
Oats, or Avena sativa, are a hardy cereal grain and are a concentrated source of fiber (in fact, they have the most soluble fiber of... - Quiche to the Rescue!
This week has NOT gone as planned. I mean, they never do, but this week is really off. It's Thursday, and I haven't done a meal plan at all this week (usually done on Sunday nights), AND I haven't been to the grocery store this week (good thing we don't get much there anymore). So,... - Oranges: The Color of Health
Nothing beats a fresh, juicy orange. My wonderful neighbor, Kerry, recently brought me back some fresh Florida oranges. Although we're just beginning our real growing season up here in Virginia, did you know that we're closer to the end of Florida's orange growing season? In fact, peak production is in December!
Why They Are So Good
You... - Hey, Good Lookin’…
...Whatcha got cookin'?
I thought I'd share a couple of things that have been cookin' over at our house lately. Of course, it takes more time to write out my own recipes, so today I'll just share some things I've borrowed from others, with comments, of course. :) Enjoy!
Dee-li-cious Breakfast
Apple Omelets from Mr. Breakfast are sooooo... - Tropical Breakfast Smoothie
I have no idea what possessed me to make a smoothie on a day that is so cold that they actually closed the schools due to ice. Certainly no idea why I decided it should be a tropical smoothie...
But it came out so good!
Here's the recipe... or close to a recipe... I always guesstimate, but... - Cold-Weather Soup
I'm up early, looking out on the frozen lake covered with snow, with the fireplace on and my "space heater" kitty cat on my lap. Obviously, this is making me think of just one thing: SOUP! So I thought I'd share one of my favorites with you (closely based on a recipe from Hayden Sears-Livesay).
Curry... - Final Day of the ‘In the Kitchen’ Giveaway!
I'm going to do things a little differently today. Let me jump right into the Chili recipe from Kate Tietje's In the Kitchen - Real Food Basics:
Chili
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. kidney beans, soaked overnight
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. onion... - Day Two: ‘In the Kitchen’ Giveaway and Recipe Preview!
Welcome to all of my new subscribers! I'm so happy to have you!
Today is the second day of the promotion for In the Kitchen - Real Food Basics, and I have a great recipe to share with you. But first...
I want to share with you the Table of Contents from the e-book. Take a look... - Accidental Stir-fry
(Or: I’m Getting It!)
Although I have always loved cooking and am the sole meal-preparer in my home, there was one thing I never quite got. It amazed me when people would say they cleaned out their fridge and made a soup with "whatever was in there," or that they would cook once and use the leftovers for five... - Arrogance Fatigue
(plus a recipe!)
This past Saturday I attended an Adrenal Fatigue Workshop. Overall, it was very disappointing so I don't have much to share about that, but if you would like some good information on this important topic please click here or here (excellent posts by Modern Alternative Mama and The Healthy Home Economist). (Update on 2/1/2011: Another...
Please support my affiliates!
Hi, I just placed an order. I didn’t read through the bottom to realize I’d get a discount but I messaged them to let them know you were the reason I ordered (they didn’t have an option to elaborate, just say “social media”, so I wanted them to know.) I am excited to get Soy Ginger without all the crap delivered to my door! Your blog inspires me. One of these days I can’t wait to meet you through our mutual friend and then I’ll pick your brain in person!
Maja! Thanks so much for reading, ordering and commenting. I’m so sorry you missed out on the discount; I hope they’ll be able to apply it retroactively. Thank you for letting them know you got there through me!
I look forward to meeting you one day, too.
If anyone else reading this is wondering why their “Soy Ginger” is OK with me when I don’t recommend things like soybean oil, it is this: First, while nearly all soy products are GMO, the tamari they use is organic and so it is not genetically modified. Second, tamari is naturally fermented, which makes a safe and traditional food (especially when used in small amounts as a condiment, as intended). Other safe fermented soy products are tempeh, natto and traditionally fermented soy sauce (shoyu), although that contains wheat and is not gluten-free.
Maja! I sent an email to Oliver and will get you a discount applied. You order went out in todays mail
Thanks again!!
Tom
Tessemaes
Awesome! Thanks, Tom!
I just stumbled on your blog because I was looking to get some Tessemae’s. I have seen it pop up a lot lately on Paleo/Primal blogs and I wanted some. I live in northern California. I went to Whole Foods yesterday and they didn’t have any. I looked at some of the other dressings and couldn’t believe how many ingredients were in them, a lot I didn’t want to put in my body. My big complaint is paying shipping, so at least with the 15% discount, that cuts shipping in half. I bought the rainbow pack, but am most excited to try the wing sauce/ranch mixed. Thanks for this offer.
Tami – Welcome! Thanks for visiting and commenting. I know, shipping charges can really be game-changers, can’t they? I really think you’re going to love them, so I hope that eases the pain
. Keep an eye at your Whole Foods, they should be rolling out there soon!
I wanted to order the rainbow pack for my friend and me, but there wasn’t anywhere to put the discount code except on the final page before submitting payment, but it wouldn’t accept it. Contacted Tessemae’s, so hopefully they come up with a solution soon! I’m itching to try these dressings! I live near a Whole Foods, but I guess they’re not available there, yet.
Hi, Diana! I will also send a message to the company. I know they had some issues at first, I’m sure they are working to resolve them. Thanks for reading, and thanks for ordering! You will love them!
Unfortunately, Tessemae’s is still having technical difficulties and you may not be able to enter the discount code. They will manually refund 15% to every order that comes in. Thanks for your patience!
Oliver was so great! He responded immediately and said once my order goes through, that they’ll refund the 15%.
Amazing! Can’t wait to get my dressings! YAY!
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. (You will love them… super yum.)
I too couldn’t find anywhere to put the code, so I placed my order and wrote them an email, and within a few hours it was already credited back to my Paypal account. Great service. Can’t wait to receive the dressings.
Dear Dishrag fans,
We apologize for the inconvenience of our promo box being down. We will automatically refund 15% off immediately. Thank you so much for your patience and support.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Oliver
Oliver@tessemaes.com
Hi, here in San Francisco we cannot find Tessamaes anywhere even at our Whole Foods. Do you know if they are going to get the sauce over here in the bay Area? We couldn’t wait though and ordered the 10 pack.
Thanks!
Hi, Patrick! So sorry for the delay, this comment got lost in with my spam comments. I *believe* Tessamae’s has now rolled-out to ALL Whole Foods nationwide. Enjoy!
Hi Patrick,
We will be rolling out to Northern California by the middle of June! Stay tuned for rollout updates. Thanks for your interest in Tessemae’s