Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Pickle Monday: Quick Turmeric Zucchini Dills

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It’s been a while since I shared a recipe for a quick pickle; several of our favorites posted here on the Older Bolder Life include these Tasty Quick Dills, these Quick Pickled Beets and Onions, and these Quick Pickled Daikon Radishes.

Some might ask why the quick pickle?

In times like these when the fresh produce is rolling in, it’s nice to prepare the freshest and best of the crop in a variety of ways; by the way, we’ll be looking at another great zucchini-based salad later in the week. Quick pickles can be set up with ease, thrown in the fridge, and enjoyed almost immediately; there’s no hot water bath processing to deal with, no fermenting, no waiting, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I still make a batch of fermented dills every year, but bright, acidic, spicy quick pickles have evolved to be my very favorites over time, due (at least in part) to their bright flavors and well-preserved crunch. Frankly you can quick pickle almost anything, and with a little creativity you can adjust spice levels and seasoning to bring smiles to you and yours at the summer (or whatever season) table.

Zucchini are abundant this time of year, a bargain at the farmstead or your favorite grocer, and easy to prep and process. This particular recipe packs in a fair amount of spice and the tiny bit of turmeric adds both flavor and color to the final pickles. Give it a spin and customize as you go.

2 pounds small zucchini, trimmed
1/4 cup pickling salt, divided
2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
12 fresh dill sprigs
4 garlic cloves, halved
4 red jalapeños or Fresno chiles (split) or 6-8 dried de arbor or Thai chiles
2 tsp yellow or brown mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp dill seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric

Optional
1 large shallot or small red onion, trimmed, quartered, and cut into slices
1-2 tbsp sugar

Trim the zucchini into 4-inch pieces, and then quarter lengthwise and throw in a large bowl; add the sliced onion if using. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of salt, add 4 cups of ice and stir, then set aside for at least an hour. Drain and then rinse quickly.

While the zucchini is “brining”, bring the vinegar, remaining 2 tbsp salt, the water, turmeric, and sugar if using to a boil in a small saucepan; set aside to cool slightly when the salt (and sugar) have dissolved.

Into two quart jars divide the dill sprigs, garlic cloves, peppers of choice, mustard, dill and coriander seeds, then pack in the zucchini spears (and onion if using). Now pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jars, leaving roughly 1/2-inch headspace, and loosely cap. Leave on the counter to cool, then into the fridge they go.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Recipes, and More 13 July 2019

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Should Lipoprotein(a) – aka Lp(a) – Be on Your Radar?

I’ve been chatting back and forth with a physician friend, who has recently awoken to the myriad health benefits of eating ancestrally and taking a much more intentional, purposeful approach to his fitness , about the flurry of activity that has taken place in the past few quarters regarding lipoprotein(a). Here are a few of the articles we’ve chatted about…

Do I Need to Care about Lp(a)? [Free MedScape account required.]
Screening for High Lipoprotein(a): The Time is Now. [Free MedScape account required.]
Lp(a) levels and MI risk shows ethic variability.
Trials of meds (of course) to reduce Lp(a) are in process, for example…
Lp(a) associations with aortic stenosis deserve further study…

A Few Other Interesting Odds and Ends from the Week

Triclosan (common antibacterial agent) and osteoporosis.
Is there a tie between “sugary drinks” (including fruit juice) and cancer? A lay media report and the BMJ article it’s based on.

Another team argues that supplements don’t help brain health – the lay media report and an interesting study from the Global Council on Brain Health.
Yet another reason to dump TV.

And from the Strange But Probably True Science File

Interesting look at unlocking the mystery of superhuman strength.
Will perusal of ocular vasculature predict your dementia risk?

Food, Glorious Food

Butterbean Hummus
Grilled Summer Squash, Feta, and Pepper Salad
Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken

What I’m Reading This Week

Last week I shared a little about our family penchant for reading and my goal to read through 80 books this year; I bit off more than I could chew last week, and haven’t finished several titles…

New to the List

Franklin Steak, Arron Franklin and Jordan Mackay. Franklin runs one of the most sought after BBQ emporiums in Texas (Austin) and is a master of cooking proteins over fire. The book looks amazing with mouthwatering photography; full review at some point soon.

A Cast in the Woods, Stephen Sautner. A fly fisherman’s take on preserving a little slice of the Catskills.

Still reading from last week…

The Paleo Diet, Loren Cordain, PhD (catching up on an unread classic).

The Longevity Paradox, Dr. Steven Gundry (detailed review to follow)

Some Stories: Lessons from the Edge of Business and Sport, Yvon Chouinard

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken

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Now and again we stumble across a recipe that makes me wonder where has this delicious food been all our lives?

Today’s Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken is one of those recipes; working through some trials to dial this one in has led to my lovely wife consistently stealing all the leftovers for her work lunch, and her insisting this one drop immediately into the weekly rotation.

This recipe, intended I suppose originally for the grill, was crafted to use chicken thighs, given their deep, rich flavor and tendency to not dry out when properly handled quickly over the fire, though chicken breasts, reasonably thinly sliced in long strips and threaded on the skewers work well too – just don’t overcook and dry them out.

That said, rained out one evening I had a recipe version test planned, I seared the chicken up in a big carbon steel skillet and it was outrageously good, so there’s your backup plan if for some reason grilling is out.

Finally, with regard to something to sweeten the recipe, traditionally most would reach for brown sugar here. Count me among those who would rationally argue that a tablespoon or two (or even a little more) of brown sugar in a marinade, over the long run and done occasionally, isn’t something to lose sleep over (though no doubt there are those among the Paleo and Keto police who would disagree vehemently).

We have trialed this one with several different sugar / sweetener subs, and found them all off-putting compared to the recipe as written below using a bit of brown sugar. One of the great things about being a big kid and cooking your own food is that you get to make the call on your own ingredient list – modify to your heart’s content.

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp rice vinegar (best with unseasoned)
1/2 cup hot chile paste
1/3 cup Sriracha
1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetener of choice, see note above
2-3 tbsp finely sliced green onions, white and pale green parts
1 tbsp grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
2-3 tsp grated or finely chopped garlic

1 and 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (skinless, boneless) cut roughly into 2-inch pieces

Combine the marinade/sauce ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well to mix and dissolve whatever sweetener you’ve elected to use. Pour approximately 1/3 of the mixture into a large resealable bag, reserve the remainder in the fridge.

Now add the chicken to the bagged marinade, and squish it around to coat all the chicken. Seal the bag and let is rest in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.

When ready to cook, fire the grill, and thread the chicken pieces onto your skewers of choice (don’t forget to soak the bamboo skewers for an hour beforehand if that’s your cup of tea). I like to use the double skewer technique to keep the pieces from spinning on the turns.

As the grill is heating, pour the reserved marinade/sauce into a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring it to a simmer and slowly reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon, then set aside.

Grill the chicken turning every two minutes or so and basting at each turn with the reduced sauce; these will need 8-10 minutes pending how hot your fire is.

Great hot or cold, and set the remaining sauce on the table for who want to drizzle a little more heat on…

Enjoy.

Working Out in the Heat: A Quick Primer

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It’s been hot as blazes here in North Texas (and much of the country of late); it was 81 at 625 this morning on my way to a local park to walk, and the heat index was pushing 105 three hours later as I finished my second workout of the morning. The image above was taken from the NWS site here locally yesterday…

Today’s post isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive, exhaustive commentary on exercising and thriving in the heat, it’s intended to answer a few common questions that are coming in from clients, and remind you of a few key principles to follow.

The Prime Directive for Working Out in the Heat: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Working out (or working) in the heat, particularly when higher humidity levels are part of the game, means you’ll need to pay particular attention to hydration. Count me among those who opine that rigid, one-size fits all hydration guidelines (8-10 tall glasses of water per day) are kinda silly if you’re paying attention to what your body is telling you, but the game changes when you’re pouring sweat at prodigious rates in the heat.

Water with a pinch of salt and trace minerals is the ideal hydration tool, probably as is coconut water, perhaps diluted to half strength. Interestingly Sisson argues that fresh squeezed orange juice with a pinch of salt is one of his favorites; read his logic in this post.

Understand, and Watch For, the Early Symptoms of Heat Related Illness

Not to push you to be hypochondriacal, but there are a few symptoms you need to be on the lookout for, especially if you plan on exercising vigorously in the heat. These symptoms include dizziness or feeling lightheaded, excessive sweating, excessive fatigue, headache, confusion or perhaps anxiety, a weak and rapid pulse, muscle cramps, and possibly even nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

It can happen when you least expect it; it did to me yesterday in fact. I happened to be finishing a workout I routinely do without a significant struggle yesterday (heat index pushing 105) when I noted I was sweating excessively, felt a wave a global fatigue, the onset of a mild headache, and even a little nausea. My point – I knew immediately it was time to pack it in, cool off, and hydrate. You MUST do the same if the need arises.

Tips to Beat the Heat, and Keep On Exercising

Adjust your workout to fit the weather. Walking is almost always a great fall back; consider cycling (make your own breeze) or a pool-based workout as well. You may need to drop off in terms of intensity, pace, or volume during the hottest days.

Hydrate all day, not just during and immediately post your exercise.

Hit it early, with late evening a reasonable choice if early doesn’t work. These early summer mornings are some of the very best of the year, I love hitting the trails or the soccer fields for sprints before sunrise – it’s the coolest part of the day for most of the country right now.

Taking your fitness efforts indoors can be helpful; I know, I know – I much prefer to be outside as well, but there are some scenarios where the air conditioned gym wins the day.

Consider breaking a longer workout into several shorter intervals during the hottest days, or experiment with HIIT training if you’ve not utilized these short duration and damned challenging workouts.

Finally, considering carefully and thoughtfully embracing the challenge of building your fitness using heat as an hormetic stressor – here’s a great example.

Be safe, be smart, and we’ll have more to come about prospering in the heat in a few days…

The Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Grilled Summer Squash, Feta, and Pepper Salad

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Like many of you, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to prepare grilled vegetables along with our favorite proteins, especially given the bounty of summer gardens and farmer’s markets coming in these days.

One of our favorite restaurants years ago served a simple side of grilled summer squash slices hot from the fire; we always ordered one or two for the table, and you had to be quick or they’d be gone in a flash. Being avid gardeners, we’ve always had plenty of zucchini around to grill at home too.

I came across the predecessor of this recipe in Bon Appetit a couple of months back, and changed up the onions and herbs a bit to suit our family palate. We’re big fans of grilled onions, and in the land of 1015s here in Texas, it’s hard not to throw one on the grill anytime we’re roasting the protein of the day.

By the way, the oregano plays very well with the feta sprinkled over the top here, and the pepperoncini adds a sharp, acidic bite to the ocean of vegetables you’ll throw together. This one is really good and will be in our weekly rotation during the summer…

4 medium large summer squash (yellow, zucchini, etc), sliced as per below
1 small sweet onion, cut into 8 wedges through the root end
1 small red onion, cut into 8 wedges through the root end
2-3 sprigs fresh oregano
Good salt and fresh ground pepper

For the dressing
1/2 cup good extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1/4 cup good white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated
1-3 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

To serve
6-8 pepperoncini, drained, stemmed, and sliced thin
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
More good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Fire the grill; this one is great over real wood charcoal. Whisk the dressing together and set aside.

Scrub the squash, trim the ends, and then slice length-wise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut the two onions into 8 wedges each through the root end (keeps the onion layers together).

Now toss the cut squash, wedged onions, and oregano sprigs on a rimmed baking sheet with 3-4 tbsp oil, then aggressively salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and cook, turning the squash pieces when well-marked on the first side (roughly 3 minutes pending your fire) and cooking another 1-2 minutes on the second side, taking care not to overcook (it make the slices too soft).

Remove the squash to the baking sheet; the onions will need a few minutes longer to take on good color; remove when marked and beginning to brown.

Plate the squash and onions on a large platter or shallow, wide bowl, then crumble the feta over, followed by the sliced pepperoncini. Drizzle with the dressing and go to it.

Enjoy.

Useful Gear: Tracking Heart Rates

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Today’s post is somewhat of a follow-up to a Question of the Day post back on 4 June about target heart rates; I talked back then about the critical differences between thinking about target maximal heart rates and target aerobic training heart rates.

By the way, if you’re not as familiar with the concept of target aerobic training heart rates, spend a bit of time reading Dr. Phil Maffetone’s work on the topic – here’s a great introduction to the topic on his site. (I still think his 180 formula is sheer genius and a great starting place for just about any and everyone considering an aerobic training program.)

There are a host of great wearable trackers out there – that’s my own Suunto Fitness 3 from a recent walk above – including those from Garmin, Fitbit, and Suunto for example, as well as many of the big-tech watches/wearable devices (like an Apple watch).

As I’ve progressed in my own fitness, I’ve found the heart rate tracking feature particularly helpful to make sure I’m getting into my aerobic training zone during my get-the-day-started early walks, and later when doing my (more often than not) twice-weekly sprint workouts tracking heart rate recovery for pacing all-out sprint efforts.

Tangentially, on the advice of a mentor in the health, wellness, and fitness game, my wife and I have even been tracking the impacts of different foods on sleep quality and nighttime heart rates (here’s looking at you, dark chocolate squares after dinner) – some consistent and reproducible patterns appear to be evolving. I’ll be sharing more down the road…

At least from where I sit, for most of us, choosing a specific device isn’t the critical issue; your budget in fact, and your interest (and/or ability) to take a deep dive into a new tech device (some of which are impressively complicated), may be the more critical limiting factor.

Clearly some of us in the ancestral health and fitness world tend to be a bit compulsive about data tracking and can lose sight of the big picture behind the avalanche of data before us; take care to not venture too far on the data analytics limb.

A useful rule of thumb I offer clients, and used to offer patients is this: never pursue testing or data tracking unless you expect the findings to have a genuine impact on how your manage your day, diet, training, etc.

Tracking your training heart rate will have a meaningful impact on how you approach your fitness, and is a great place to start if you’ve not been harvesting any training related data at all.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce and Dip Monday Recipe: Butterbean Hummus

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Living in the nutritional ketosis world for the past 15 months or so, I’ve only pulled together a hummus plate a couple of times; now that I think about it, both were for entertaining company with a big crudite spread before the main meal event.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re big fans of a well-prepared and flavored hummus; some of our favorite eateries here in the DFW metro serve up a wonderful butterbean hummus as part of their Southern-inspired menus – and it’s always delicious with an innovative platter of crispy vegetables alongside.

We just haven’t served up hummus of late as I’ve been running (very comfortably I might add) at or below 20 grams of soluble carbs per day for more than a year now, and let’s face it, a nice hummus with a plate full of crispy crudite could easily double or triple amount in one sitting. (For the record, I’ve never played the keto game as if the keto police were looking over my shoulder; I’ve simply felt great at that level, and it’s allowed me to fairly painlessly accomplish my weight loss and body recomposition goals this past year.)

And like many of you as well who are thriving eating a low/lower carb nutrition plan, we pretty much carved legumes out of our routine several years ago, not only for their carb load relative to nutrient content, but their anti-nutrients as well. Truthfully, I can’t even recall the last time I cooked a big “pot of beans” at home, though I have to confess we very rarely and thoughtfully nibble at some when eating TexMex out with friends.

That said, my lovely wife recently developed a hankering for some hummus and veg to take to work for lunch during these blisteringly hot Texas summer days; the same week, two clients asked me if we had a favorite hummus recipe to share as well.

This Butterbean Hummus recipe is one that we worked out years ago, originally of course with chickpeas, though it works with just about any other cooked legume; here we’re using butterbeans, though Great Northerns would work as well. And as in the image above, we like ours with a bit of fresh ground pepper and a dusting of a good paprika as well.

Of note, many prepared hummus products you will find at your favorite grocer are make with canned beans (BPA risk), terrible seed oils, and other preservatives and stabilizers. It’s far better to soak and cook your legumes of choice (even better if fermented too), use quality oils and tahini, fresh lemons and spices, and you’ll craft a hummus worthy of an indulgence now and again.

4 cups cooked and cooled legume of choice (chickpeas, butterbeans, Great Northern, etc)
1/4 cup cold water
Freshly squeezed juice of 1-2 lemons (2-4 tbsp)
2 tbsp good tahini paste (more to taste)
2 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp (generous) ground cumin
Good salt and pepper to taste

For service, drizzle with more olive or avocado oil, finely chopped cilantro, maybe even a dusting of paprika or cumin/coriander.

This one is easy and intuitive to stir blend together. Into your trusty food processor go the cooked legumes, followed by the next 7 ingredients. Blend together until as smooth as you like (we like a little texture in our hummus), and adjust the tahini, lemon, cumin, salt, and pepper to your tastes.

Serve either at room temp or chilled (we like it chilled during these hot summer days), and drizzle with more oil and any of the optional finishing touches above.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Recipes, and More 6 July 2019

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The Hot Topic of Late: 150,000 T2DM-LC/Keto Trial Patient Days and Counting

Fascinating data has recently been reported out of the Virta-IUH Type 2 Diabetes Reversal Clinical Trial (which is ongoing by the way). If you read nothing else this week, this story is worth exploring on a deeper level…

Written for the lay person and press, here’s one of the team members’ recent post on the study – The Top 12 Keto Myths Debunked After 150,000 Days of Patient Care.

Here’s the research team’s 2-year status report in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.

One of the brightest non-medical-professional minds discussing American medical care economics is Karl Denninger; he weighs in on the study, its cost implications, and shares a personal anecdote here.

Speaking of Diet and Nutrition…

The Defense Department is thinking about pushing soldiers to nutritional ketosis, but they’re a bit off base in their approach…

The Standard American or Western diet is impairing male fertility by age 18?

Sweet, fatty (the wrong fats) foods could remodel the brain to drive overeating.

The Gut Biome is Another Hot Topic These Days

I’ve finally gotten around to starting Dr. Gundry’s The Longevity Paradox in my reading cycle this week, and so far in the introduction he’s laid out an impressive foundation detailing the critical functions of the gut biome in human health and longevity; full review and comments to follow.

Tangentially related, a somewhat unusual look at the human microbiome.

What I’m Reading This Week

I’m increasingly convinced that those who are genuinely serious about improving their heath, fitness, and maximizing their functional longevity need to invest some time reading good science and the musings of the thought leaders in the game.

There’s a whirlwind of activity in the nutrition arena these days; I hear you when you say there’s a lot of noise out there – there is – and it does take a bit of effort to separate (gluten warning) the wheat from the chaff. Keep working at it; the more you read, the better you’ll get at sorting out the useful nuggets from the bullsh*t.

My wife and I (and our adult offspring as well) have always been voracious readers; personally I’ve recommitted to a goal to read 80 books this year, and will be sharing what I’m reading weekly just for the hell of it. This week’s reads include…

The Paleo Diet, Loren Cordain, PhD (I realized this past week I’d never read his original works, and ran across a copy of the revised edition [2011] in a used book store.) He’s obviously one of the respected leaders in the Paleo world.

The Longevity Paradox, Dr. Steven Gundry (see comment above)

Some Stories: Lessons from the Edge of Business and Sport, Yvon Chouinard

Sunset Beach, Mary Kay Andrews (good fiction for the win)

Food, Glorious Food

Grilled Jalapeno, Onion, and Pepita Salsa