Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Garam Masala and Cucumber Dip

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I don’t know what it’s been like around your neighborhood this summer, but after a short break from the summer heat here in North Texas, we’re back to typical scorching summer days this week.

Summer is prime time grilling season of course (though thinking about it, when is it not grilling season?) and we’re always looking for a nifty sauce, salsa, slather, or dip to make things more interesting.

Here’s a great one – Garam Masala and Cucumber Dip, a kissin’-cousin to my wife’s favorite tzatziki and my personal go-to in this flavor arena, Bebe’s Curry Mayo and Dip. This one couldn’t be easier to stir together, and with a few simple options you can fancy up this very simple prep to suit any occasion.

By the way, the crispy shallots are a nice touch our friend Chef Libby in Austin uses; she’s always reminding us how easy they are to make at home, and what an amazing vinaigrette the shallot oil makes when you’re done sautéing the shallots. If you’ve not done this before to garnish salads or Thai dishes at home, try it using this technique.

Of course this one is for the daily tolerant, and I’d encourage you to track down some sheep’s milk yogurt as my lovely wife did last week….

1 cup unflavored whole milk yogurt
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 to 1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 to 1 tsp good salt
1 4-to-5 inch cucumber (Persian if you can), small dice or grated

Optional
Crispy shallots, see note above
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Add the yogurt to a small bowl, grate in the garlic, and add the garam masala and salt. Stir to combine well, then fold in the grated or diced cucumber. Taste for seasoning, remembering that the curry/masala flavors will intensify a little over time; I almost always end up using a full tablespoon of the garam masala.

Top with the optional goodies, grab the crudite platter, and go to it.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Avocado Monday: Bacon, Green Onion, and Avocado Dip

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Once again unintentionally dating myself a bit, I have to admit I grew up during what was probably the peak of the “French Onion Dip” era. You know, the dip recipe made using a carton of sour cream and the little packet of French onion soup mix. And while the ensuing mixture tasted like a little like a chemistry experiment gone awry, this dip showed up on the chip and dip table of many a gathering during my youth, and there was usually a crowd fighting over the best dipping chips and elbowing for prime position in front of the bowl. Oh my (deep sigh).

Just this past week we took a step back in time (to those French onion dip days) when Chef Libby in Austin shared this recipe with me, something she’d been working on for a catering event several weeks ago.

She is a huge fan of avocados, and had tweaked this recipe to serve with a big crudités platter for an event she’d done just after PaleoFx for one of the vendors. Sautéing the thinly sliced green onions in the bacon fat is a stroke of genius, and produces a flavor (in a real food way) very similar to the old-school dip recipe above.

Bacon is always good, no matter what, and the tartness of the yogurt (and the lime), combined with a bit of heat from a finely diced pepper (we favor serranos here) pack an amazing punch that’s surprisingly tasty. We dipped sliced raw vegetables in this recipe, and slathered it over grilled pastured-beef burger patties.

Wow, this one is good.

2-3 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled
3 large green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large or 2 small avocados, chopped
1-2 tsp fresh lime juice
3/4 to 1 tsp good salt

Optional
1 additional green onion, white and pale green parts thinly sliced
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, finely diced
2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Sauté the bacon until crisp, drain, then crumble into a medium bowl.

Using the reserved bacon fat, sauté the green onions until soft and just beginning to caramelize; add to the bowl with the bacon. Stir in the yogurt, salt, lime juice, and avocados, mashing the avocados up as you go, though we like to leave some chunks of avocado to add some texture. Add the diced pepper and cilantro if using.

Top with an additional scallion if desired, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Recipe File: Buttermilk Sour Cream Salad Dressing

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I don’t know about you, but we’re always on the lookout for new salad dressing recipes to brighten up the (almost) daily salad we enjoy week in and week out.

Just like you, we have our favorites, most of which we stir together at home to ensure we’re using the freshest, and cleanest, ingredients we can. (Insert your favorite rant here about how most commercially prepared salad dressings are based on terrible, PUFA-laden franken oils, or cost ten bucks a bottle for the good stuff.)

Just like you, we’re always on the lookout for great salad dressings that can serve double duty as a dip for crudite, or a slather for leftover proteins coming out of the fridge for tomorrow’s lunch too.

And while this Buttermilk Sour Cream Dressing may give away a bit of our Texas heritage, growing up eating wedge salads with a classic Ranch dressing, this recipe is based on tangy sour cream, a healthy dose of lemon (fresh juice and zest), with a hint of garlic and dill. You could of course sub in any fresh herb you have on hand, the dill just seems to fit here…

Given this one a spin, it’ll become one you reach for over and again.

3/4 cup full-fat sour cream
2 tbsp full-fat buttermilk
2 tbsp avocado or olive oil mayonnaise
3 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1 garlic clove, grated
1-2 tsp finely chopped fresh dill (optional)
1 -2 tsp good salt
1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

This one couldn’t be easier; simple combine the entire ingredient list in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Add a tbsp of additional buttermilk if you want to thin the mixture. Can make up to a day ahead, store covered in the fridge if not savoring this one right away.

Enjoy.