Older Bolder Life

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The Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Crispy Verde Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

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We’ve come to really enjoy deeply and creatively flavored cauliflower rice this year, like this Ginger Pecan Cauliflower Rice Pilaf or this Asian Fried Cauliflower Rice. Buying pre-riced, frozen cauliflower makes it even easier, and there are several organic brands widely available (I’ve been buying of late from Costco) which are consistently good and quite tasty.

When a version of this Crispy Verde Cauliflower Rice Pilaf showed up in my feed from Bon Appetit recently, I wondered if there was a way to get riced cauliflower crispy, and set to experimenting a bit (and pestering my friend Chef Libby in Austin). As you cauliflower rice fans know, it does tend to release moisture when cooking, and if you’re not attentive to time and heat, can make your cauliflower rice dish seem a bit soggy.

The trick is to sauté this cauliflower prep twice, once to dry it out a bit, then you rest it on a paper towel-lined plate before crisping it in oil a second time.

This recipe is wonderfully tasty, given the multiple herbs and peppers called for in the sauce; use any combination of green herbs you care too. We’re big cilantro fans, so I skewed this recipe that way, and be generous with the serranos too – the sauce may taste too spicy at first when tasting it alone, but the cauliflower really mellows out the final flavors, as do the two different peas and the green onions.

Note the source recipe used a couple of tablespoons of miso; if you’re avoiding soy, use your favorite umami-rich substitute (I usually reach for tamari, coconut aminos, or tahini). Chef Libby argues that white miso’s taste is so unique, it’s hard to sub, and it does contribute to the final flavors…

Finally, the roasted pistachios add a flavor and texture you don’t often come across, and good feta is always tasty. Don’t be put off by a long set of instructions below, this one’s pretty easy and actually comes together pretty quickly. And wow, this one’s very good.

1 pound bag frozen riced cauliflower OR 1 medium cauliflower, riced

1/2 cup raw pistachios

2 cups cilantro (see note)
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup mint and/or dill
2-4 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, roughly chopped
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp avocado or EV olive oil
Juice of 2 fresh limes (1/4 cup)
2 tbsp white miso or your sub of choice
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp good salt

3/4 cup good feta, crumbled
6-8 ounces sugar snap peas, thinly sliced on diagonal
4-5 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal
1/3 to 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional, see note)

1 cup fresh shelled or frozen peas (optional)
Additional good salt to taste

Fire the oven to 350 and toast the pistachios until nicely browned (5-7 minutes); cool, then roughly chop.

Now sauté the cauliflower in a dry nonstick skillet over medium-heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’re not trying to brown it here, you’re cooking off some of the water in the cauliflower to dry it a bit. Remove to paper towel lined plate when the skillet dries out 7 or 8 minutes in.

Meanwhile, into the blender go the herbs, the chiles, 1/3 cup of your oil of choice, the lime juice, white miso (or sub of choice), water, and salt. Blend until smooth, and taste for salt and heat. You want this herb mixture to be spicy; the cauliflower tones it down, so you may need another pepper (or two).

Now wipe your skillet clean, add 2-3 tbsp of oil, and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the cauliflower back to the skillet, smoothing it out in a single layer and compressing a bit with a spatula. You’re goal is to crisp and brown the cauliflower here; after a minute or two turn the heat down to medium and DON’T stir for 6-8 minutes until it’s browning and getting crispy.

During the sauté process above, into a clean bowl go the sliced sugar snap peas and green onions (thinly sliced on a diagonal), the crumbled feta, the raisins if using, and the pistachios; toss gently to combine.

When the riced cauliflower is beginning to brown and crisp, add the peas, and cook for another couple of minutes until the peas are just tender.

Finally, stir the cauliflower rice into the vegetable and cheese mixture, stir in the herb drizzle, and toss to combine.

Enjoy.

Five Fruits Packing the Most Antioxidant Punch

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As people I talk to begin to rethink their food and nutrition paradigm, at some point along the way they begin a quest for foods that not only taste good (or great), bring a host of nutritional benefits, and offer additional healthy impacts on metabolic function, physical performance, and maybe even impact longevity.

One focus of this quest is often pursuing foods that pack a powerful antioxidant punch, given the multiple benefits that antioxidants have upon our human physiology. We’ve been conditioned over the past several decades to often think of certain fruits as possessing high levels of accessible antioxidants – and some certainly do.

We’re going to take a quick look today at the five fruits with the highest levels of accessible antioxidants, choosing to blatantly ignore today the fructose baggage that fruits drag along with them (we’ll come back and look at the downsides of fructose in detail shortly).

First, Let’s Talk About ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity)

ORAC is the acronym for Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity, a nifty test designed back in the day to measure the collective antioxidant power of the various substance found together in a given food.

One of the better lay-audience-targeted explanations of the test I’ve ever read was in this article from a few years back, in particular this excerpt –

The theory is that you can’t really compute the antioxidant capacity of a food just by knowing the component parts, just as you can’t predict how great a band is going to sound just by knowing who’s in it. (You’ve got to hear them play together!) In much the same way, scientists at the USDA figured out that “teamwork” in antioxidants is a big factor, and that the synergistic impact of a bunch of antioxidants working together is bigger (or different) than the sum of the parts.

So they developed the ORAC test, which basically pits a nasty bunch of free radicals against the synergistic effect of the antioxidants found in a given food. ORAC measures how powerful the natural combination of antioxidants in a given food are by seeing just how well they do in “absorbing” (or incapacitating) a particular free radical.

So far so good. Free radicals are the “bad guys,” antioxidants are the “good guys,” ORAC is a measure of how well the good guys do against the bad guys, and all is well with the world. Foods that consistently scored high on the ORAC ratings were blueberries, prunes, raisins, kale and beans. You could pretty much count on these foods being at the top of the rankings as regularly as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in any given Grand Slam event.

Then the marketing people went to work…

The article goes on to explain why, back in 2012, the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory removed their USDA ORAC Database for Selected Foods, citing principally the overt misuse of data by food and dietary supplement in product promotion.

Count me among those who consider that to be damn shame, as it can be useful to peruse the ORAC data when contemplating food choices.

Superfoodly still maintains a fairly active ORAC database / list; it’s available here for your perusal.

The Top Five Fruits with the Highest ORAC Scores

Elderberries (14,697)
Wild blueberries (9,621)
Cranberries (9,090)
Blackberries (5,905)
Goji berries (4,310)

Ranked by published ORAC scores, the top five probably aren’t a huge surprise to those who’ve spent time reading and researching on their own in the antioxidant space, berries of various sorts have long been touted as antioxidant champions.

Elderberries aren’t necessarily the easiest to access commercially, though wild blueberries (and their cultivated kin), cranberries, and blackberries are quite easy to procure, delicious, and when eaten in their native forms (avoid the dried and sweetened versions like the plague) in thoughtful moderation, can be a wonderful complement to your food plan.

We’ll come back in the next few weeks and look at how thoughtful fruit consumption fits into a Primal food plan, as well as if and how fruit might play for those of you taking on a run of nutritional ketosis.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Monday: Quick Grilled Tomato and Jalapeño Table Salsa

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On our run last week to see our kids and their families in Montana last week, we dined one evening in Missoula at a wonderful eatery downtown called TopHat.

Both my daughter and had tacos – yep, I enjoy a corn tortilla now and again and remain in nutritional ketosis 99% of the time – that were served with delicious and freshly prepared house salsas.

One salsa had been prepared using grilled tomatoes, onions, and peppers; roasting these ingredients over live fire adds a depth of flavor and smokiness you can’t get any other way, and sent me to the kitchen (and grill) to experiment when back home.

Of course influenced by our Texican roots, my wife and I think this is much better with a few tablespoons of cilantro thrown in, with a generous spritz of lime juice as well.

Next time you’re firing the grill to sear your favorite proteins, throw this salsa together and see what you think. It’s so tasty, and so simple to prepare, you’ll be folding it into your rotation this summer (and likely through the fall and winter as well – this is a great way to flavor up less than prime tomatoes too).

6 medium tomatoes
1 large sweet or white onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, halved
1-3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1-2 tsp good salt
Spritz of fresh lime juice, optional
Olive or avocado oil, brushed on before grilling

Fire the grill.

Halve three tomatoes, slice the onion, and prep the peppers. Brush all with a bit of the oil, and grill, turning now and again, until slightly to moderately charred and the onion and peppers have softened. Remove from the grill and cool for 5-10 minutes.

Core and seed the other three tomatoes, dice the flesh into 1/4 to 1/3-inch cubes and throw in a medium-sized bowl. Dice the cooled roasted tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños, add to the bowl, then stir in the salt, cilantro, and a spritz of fresh lime juice. Taste and adjust for salt and lime.

Best served fresh, this will hold a day or two tightly covered in the fridge as well.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Recipes, and More 11 May 2019

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We’re on the road this week in Montana and have an eclectic roundup of links and reads that I’ve collected here and there along the way.

Food, Glorious Food

Another reason to love avocados: they suppress hunger.
Ancient secrets of medicinal mint.
There’s only one way to drink Ethiopian coffee.

Red Pepper Cashew Dressing
Grilled Jalapeno Poppers with Smoked Gouda
Shawarma Chicken with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Links and Reads That Caught Our Eye This Week

GRK2: Your heart talks to your fat cells.
Does sunscreen compromise vitamin D levels?
Senior health keys: Optimism, wisdom, and loneliness.
Older and slower runners benefit from first time marathon training.
Keeping fit is a state of mind.

Rural communities are getting obese faster than urban.
Regular marijuana users need more medical procedure sedation.
Workplace wellness programs change behaviors but not outcomes.
The keto diet has potential in the military per this study.
Potential link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 10 May: Shawarma Chicken with Tahini Yogurt Sauce

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As a family we’ve gravitated to big, bold flavors in most of the food we prepared at home over the years, embracing enthusiastically the various food cultures we’ve grown up with in Texas and the desert Southwest.

Several years ago our photojournalist daughter spent a week in Jordon on assignment, and she brought back some stunningly good olive oil and spice mixes, along with tall tales and images of meals eaten in the field and at some of the finest restaurants in the country.

She loved the shawarma there, and I’ve been tinkering around the edges with various shawarma recipes for months now, finally settling on this one. We most often reach for chicken thighs here, given their rich flavor and higher fat content, though you can of course substitute any protein you’d care to choose. The spice mix is delightful, though I often cheat the spices up a little, and the yogurt sauce is delicious, and has become one we reach for to serve with other grilled proteins as well as serve as a change-up-the-game salad dressing now and again too.

The chicken can of course be grilled, though the sheet pan, high-heat bake is a genius, quick, and easy prep that is simple enough for even a beginner in the kitchen. Cook extra, this one makes a great lunch (or breakfast) the next day or two.

2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp good salt
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4-5 tbsp olive or avocado oil
2 to 2 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the sauce
1 and 1/2 cups full-fat yogurt
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp finely grated garlic
1/2 tsp (or more) finely grated fresh lemon zest
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tbsp (or more) fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp (or more) fresh mint, chopped
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

To Serve
Several romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 (or more) English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
5-6 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Kalamata olives

Combine the seven spice ingredients with 3 tbsp of the oil; throw in the chicken and toss to coat. (Add a little more oil if needed). Let rest at room temperature while you heat the oven to 425.

Now bake the chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet for 15-17 minutes until browned with crispy edges (interior temp in the thickest thigh should be 165). Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, stir together the sauce, folding in the mint and dill last, and seasoning to taste with good salt and pepper. Prep the romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, and onion.

Traditionally this would be served in pitas; it’s even better thinly sliced over the salad, drizzled with the sauce. And the chicken is amazing cold.

Enjoy.

Question of the Day: Why So Many Food Posts on the Older Bolder Life?

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One of the most common families of questions that come in related to our blog, the Older Bolder Life, is about our recipes posted on the site. Usually questions have to do with changing up the recipe in some way, though recently several have asked why I post so many recipes on the site.

Like most things we all deal with in life, there are short, simple answers, and another explanation that’s a bit more longwinded and expansive.

Short Answer No. 1: We Really Enjoy Eating Good Food

Though neither my wife nor I were raised in what you’d call “foodie households”, over the years we’ve truly come to love preparing, and enjoying, great food. As I’ve shared many times before, we’re children of the South (Texas), and both grew up watching at least one family grandmother lovingly prepare downhome, simple and nourishing, stick to the ribs country-style food. We’ve been drawn over the years to the spice and flavor paradigms of the American Southwest as well, particularly the tri-cultural amalgam that epitomizes native New Mexico cuisines.

Bottom line, we like to eat. And cook. (I’ve often thought over the past decade that if I’d not gone into medicine, I would have become a chef.)

Short Answer No. 2: The Science of Food is Fascinating

As a science nerd, the science of food is fascinating.

Not only is the study and science of macro- and micronutrients and their impacts on human metabolism and physiology ever evolving and expanding, but the myriad chemical (and structural) changes in foods as they’re grown, harvested, stored, prepped, and cooked (how about the Maillard Reaction for instance?) will always beckon, and invite endless avenues for fruitful, and fun, exploration.

The Longer Answer: Answering the “So What the Hell are We Going to Eat” Question

The longer answer comes from our own experience over the past several years. Back in 2016, I was the first in our clan to jump on the low carb, moderate protein, higher healthy fat bandwagon. As we were transitioning off the standard American diet at the time, we jumped in and made the typical major changes in how we approached food. Not unexpectedly, the pounds began to fly off, and my lovely wife took notice.

One afternoon we sat and talked through the concepts; she was intrigued but grew more and more quiet the more detail I shared about the carb-paradigm shift required. Finally, she interrupted and asked the question we all ponder at one time or another –

So what in the hell are we actually going to eat???

We talked through a rational transition plan, and I pledged to up our home food game to smooth the transition. As I’ve shared before, we’ve never looked back, and are eating better food, to absolute satiety, with a much more innovative, interesting, and fun menu plan that ever before.

As have many before us, we’ve noticed the ability to savor and really taste the nuances of flavors in foods and spices has multiplied several times over during the past several years, enhanced in part by dumping toxic food components (here’s looking at you seed oils and highly processed foods) from our kitchen and diet. Food really does taste better.

So why do we post so many recipes. In part, it’s due to our own continued exploration of a new food and nutrition paradigm, but mainly we just love to eat good food.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Grilled Poppers with Smoked Gouda

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We love to grill around our house, and we love spicy foods from our native Texican cuisine and that of nearby New Mexico.

That said, I have to admit we’ve eaten a lot of jalapeño (and other pepper) poppers over the years, even some back in our pre-Primal/Paleo days that were breaded and deep-fried in the franken oil of the day (dammit).

Like many of you we’ve cleaned up our popper act considerably, and still enjoy them with friends for appetizers and the occasional main course, the most outrageous being a bacon-wrapped, smoked pulled pork and cheddar popper bomb that we served at a party a few years back.

As we lean these days toward more simple preparations (most of the time) that highlight great ingredients, a few days ago I made these Grilled Jalapeño Poppers with Smoked Gouda to accompany an artisanal chicken sausage I’d run across at our favorite market here in the city. Don’t skip adding the fresh ground pepper to the cheese mixture by the way – it adds a great flavor point and interesting texture too.

Hot off the grill, sprinkled with a coarse sea salt, drizzled with fresh lime juice and just a little of a very nice California extra virgin olive oil, and finally sprinkled with fresh cilantro, these were probably the best popper we’ve ever crafted in our kitchen. Gouda is such a wonderful cheese, the smoked version adds a nifty touch, and it’s a great melter.

Many thanks to Chef Libby in Austin; it pays to have a genius friend in the professional kitchen.

18-20 large jalapeño and Fresno chiles
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups smoked Gouda, finely grated
1-2 tsp fresh coarsely ground pepper
Salt to taste

Optional
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime quarters
A light drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil

Cut the washed peppers in half lengthwise but leave connected at the stem end; using a grapefruit spoon, scrape out the seeds and membranes from the peppers.

Combine the room-temperature cream cheese and grated Gouda in a bowl; add a little salt and grind in the fresh pepper. Mash it up well, then carefully spoon the filling into the peppers, taking care not to overstuff and closing the peppers back together when they’re full. They’ll hold together better cooking if you throw them in the fridge for an hour or two.

Fire the grill (live fire is best!).

Now place the peppers on the grill over direct heat and cook for at least three minutes per side; you’re looking to soften the peppers and have them begin to brown (charring a little is fine) and have the cheese melt inside.

Pull the peppers, sprinkle with the cilantro, spritz with the fresh lime quarters, and go to it (I like to add a little more coarse salt too!).

Enjoy.

Road Trip Food Update May 2019

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About nine months ago I wrote this post – Healthy Take From Home Road Trip Food Ideas for Summer 2018 – with a list of suggestions for healthy foods to take on the road when traveling. Having spent the past 54 weeks (quite happily and contentedly) in nutritional ketosis, I thought I’d offer a quick update with a few thoughts.

Metabolic Flexibility Rocks on the Road

Though you don’t hear everybody talking about it, count me among the die-hard fans of the concept of being metabolically flexible as you charge through the challenges daily life brings to hand.

Being metabolically flexible means, in this context while traveling, you’re not looking to eat every 2-3 hours, buying chips, sugary drinks (sports drinks and fruit juices still aren’t good choices, no matter how crafty their marketing), and crappy candy to “keep your energy up”.

Being metabolically flexible on the road means, when adequately hydrated, fasting comfortably if you need to stretch a day or travel outside your normal activity window in a day. For example, my wife and I hit the road on a 24-hour drive about 1pm yesterday and drove into the wee hours today to make our upcoming vacation schedule work; we had both fasted since dinner the evening before, and we were absolutely comfortable nibbling on keto snacks along the way, choosing to forgo a sit down meal to get on down the road.

Not fat-adapted or as metabolically flexible as you’d like to be? Stay with it, you’ll get there. (I can help you with the process too).

What About Foods for the Road?

Having spent a little over a year in the keto world, the list I posted here last year still stands. This particular trip to Montana (both of our kids live still live under the Big Sky), we have another 1/2 gallon of our favorite cold-brewed coffee on hand in the cooler, with some great cream to go along with it.

As suggested in last year’s post, we have cold-grilled salmon, some high quality German salami, several nifty cheeses, my go to keto snack trimmed radishes, some full-fat, whole milk, pastured yogurt, good dark chocolate, nuts, and unsweetened coconut chips.

Finally, I made a batch of these Spicy Southern Sausage and Cheese Balls – they’re great cold and will keep a week or so in the cooler/fridge.

After another fasted start this morning, we’re back on the road and will be in Missoula later today, stocking up at a wonderful grocer our daughter has found there, and getting ready for a week of fly fishing and hiking.

What are some of your favorites for the road?