I posted an image of this dish up on Instagram the other day and talked about a “secret ingredient.”
Today, I’m letting you know that ingredient: it’s Tessemae’s BBQ sauce (well, Matty’s BBQ Sauce, to be exact.)
Not only am I sharing this delicious recipe, but Tessemae’s is giving away one of their Rainbow Packs, filled with 10 of their all-natural, Paleo and clean-eating friendly condiments, dressings and sauces!
Yes, I used a bottled BBQ sauce for this recipe. Listen, sometimes you don’t have time to prep your own sauces.
Lately, I’ve been working 14 hour days and have barely had time to brush my teeth in the mornings, so I have been taking shortcuts with my meals.
Shortcuts don’t need to have a negative connotation, though! As long as you’re using the right products, you have nothing to worry about.
My old boss said, “work smarter, not harder” and I’d like to say that sometimes, it’s okay to “eat smarter, not harder.” Okay, that doesn’t really make much sense, but you get my point!
One of the brands that I’ve recently gotten into is Tessemae’s. I love Tessemae’s not only because their bottled products are actually tasty, but because of their story and their mission for healthy eating. Check out their story, from their site:
As the mother of three athletic boys, Tesse had to figure out a way to get them to eat their veggies while staying healthy. Pouring on a dressing full of artificial ingredients was not an option, so over the years she made and perfected her own. When oldest brother, Greg, realized how great the dressing was, he said “Mom, let’s go into business together and make it for the world!”
They use creative ingredients to go bold on flavor while maintainign a healthy integrity. I love their product description for Matty’s BBQ sauce (it made me laugh):
One day our brother Matt got fed up with all the junk in regular BBQ sauce, locked himself in a room and 30 days later came out with Matty’s BBQ sauce. You’re welcome America.
The ingredients for this sauce are simple, you can find them here. I love that they use dates to sweeten the sauce.
I typically like a spicier BBQ sauce, so if you do too, just add a few splashes of your favorite hot sauce into the cup of BBQ sauce (my favorite hot sauce is Tessemae’s, actually!) to add a kick – just be sure to stir it in!
This BBQ chicken bowl has all kinds of flavors and textures – the sweet potato rice are slightly sweet, which pairs beautifully with the BBQ sauce. The kale, onions and avocado provide nutrients, healthy fats and dietary fiber to make this dish a comforting bowl of healthiness!
See? Using bottled and jarred sauces is okay – just always read the ingredient list first. There are plenty of companies like Tessemae’s out there, working hard to create products that are for busy cooks like us who still want to eat healthfully.
By the way, we’re fully functional on the blog now! You can make comments, finally! Thanks for your patience, and I’d really love to hear your feedback, so e-mail me anytime!
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Red Kale and Sweet Potato Rice Bowls with BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 boneless chicken breasts or thighs, if you like darker meat – don’t use thinly sliced
- 1 cup Tessemae’s BBQ sauce
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 large red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 large bunch of kale
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle half of the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and spread around with a brush to coat the surface of the pan, where the chicken will be placed.
- Place the chicken thighs (or breasts) skin down on the pan and roast for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the BBQ sauce all over the tops of the chicken. Using a spatula, carefully flip the chicken (careful not to tear the skin) and then brush the sauce over the other side. Bake for 7 more minutes and then remove from the oven again, brush with more sauce and then bake another 7 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks: peel and spiralize the sweet potato, using Blade C. Place the noodles into a food processor and pulse until rice-like and set aside. Then, cube the insides of the avocados. Then, thinly slice the onions. Then, mince the garlic. Then, chop the kale into at least 4 cups.
- Remove from the oven again, brush with more sauce and then increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Roast for another 5 minutes or until sauce beings to brown around the edges and chicken is cooked through (no longer pink on the inside.) Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes and then slice into 1/2” strips.
- Once you remove the chicken for the final time, place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the rest of the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the onions and let cook 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Then, add in the garlic and let cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then, add in the sweet potato rice and broth. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes and then add in the kale, season with salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes, or until kale is wilted and sweet potato rice is cooked and softened but not mushy (taste test occasionally.) Stir in the avocado and let cook for about 2 minutes or until heated through.
- Divide the rice into bowls and top with BBQ chicken slices.
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