Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Carrot and Pepita Salad with Ginger Dressing

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Today’s Friday Feast recipe is going to be one that’s very much like the style of cooking I’m trying to do these days – damned tasty, colorful, a bit out of the ordinary, and a quick, straightforward prep.

My lovely wife has been clamoring for carrots as we’ve jumped from record cold to the sunny 70s here in North Texas in less than two weeks; she’s a big hummus fan and enjoys it immensely with crudite (carrots are pretty much always on the crudite platter around our camp).

That said, I’ve been digging around for new spins on carrots as the star of salads and fresh, uncooked side dishes of late, and this Carrot and Pepita Salad with an easy, Asian-inspired Ginger Dressing is a nifty one and probably the pick of the litter so to speak of all that we’ve tried lately.

I pulled this one together after reading several similar recipes, the one that looked the best on paper called for 5 to 6 ounces of fresh pea shoots along with the carrots, which for the life of me I’ve been unable to source (the pea shoots) this time of year and post the freeze of the century in Texas.

Digging around a bit for likely subs for pea shoots, which appear to be damned easy to grow at home by the way, the most commonly recommended were baby arugula, baby boc choy, or even baby spinach. We happened to have some baby arugula in the fridge, so that’s what you’ll see in the images today, though I’ll bet this is great with the pea shoots as well.

The recipe is ridiculously easy overall, and calls for a somewhat unusual step of dry toasting your pepitas in a skillet, removing from the heat, and then adding 4 tablespoons of tamari or soy to the hot pepitas and letting them soak as they cool.

Give this one a spin as spring rolls into your neighborhood, it’s a keeper.

1/4 cup pepitas
6 T tamari or soy sauce
4-5 medium carrots in matchsticks
5-6 ounces pea shoots, baby arugula, baby spinach, or baby boc choy
3-4 green onions, trimmed, sliced on an angle

Dressing
3/4-1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled, grated
2 T mirin
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Dry fry the pepitas until they begin to color (keep them moving so they don’t burn); remove from the heat, add 1/4 cup soy/tamari and set aside to cool.

Combine the dressing ingredients, whisking or shaking in a jar until well combined; hold in the fridge until you’re ready to dress the salad.

Combine the prepped carrots, pea shoots or sub of your choice, and the green onions in a small bowl, stir in the dressing, and top with the toasted pepitas.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Libby’s Chile Crisp

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We’re always on the lookout around our camp for interesting sauces, spice mixes, and flavorings of all shapes and sorts to add interest to the foods we enjoy.

It really helps to have a friend “in the industry” to politely pester now and again, especially one who’s as creative as our compadre Chef Libby down in Austin. For reasons that aren’t wholly clear to either one of us, our palates align pretty damn closely, as do our tastes in recreational pursuits, namely fly fishing and other diversions undertaken on or around the water.

Libby and I were chatting several months about sauces, and I mentioned that we were looking for something along the lines of a typically sweet (make that overly-sweet) Asian chile sauce when she asked if we’d ever tried her version of a chile crisp?

For the life of me I couldn’t remember her ever sharing the recipe, one that she’d sourced years ago from Bon Appetit and fiddled with to clean up the ingredients to align more with a Primally-influenced palate.

Libby’s Chile Crisp has become probably my personal favorite table condiment of all time, displacing the ever-so-durable Tex-Mex table salsa (some might even call that a pico), a condiment that’s become increasing essential and good on just about everything I can imagine being seared, roasted, or otherwise cooked on a grill, eggs of every sort, and even vegetables (roasted or grilled in particular).

This recipe produces a rich, red slather that’s at the same time spicy (the red pepper and ginger), crunchy (the toasted shallots and garlic), with a hint of Asian-inspired flavors (the star anise, tamari, and ginger), with a soothing, flavor-infused oil to tie it all together.

Eggs will never be the same again with chile crisp in the fridge – I just had it drizzled over three chilled boiled eggs (cut in half so the just set yolks could soak up the flavor) for lunch as I finished this post in fact.

The recipe easily doubles, and you’ll get a better crisp-ing effect if you use at least an 8-inch sauce pan to spread the shallots and garlic out in a thin layer (go bigger if doubling the recipe); just watch them and don’t push them too fast. Oh, and by the way, we like it with more red pepper flakes; this is the recipe Libby originally shared with us back in the day.

3/4 cup oil of choice (we use half olive oil, half avocado)
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, separated into cloves, thinly sliced
2-3 star anise pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 to 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, chopped fine
2-3 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
Optional: 1-2 tsp sugar of choice

Combine the oil(s), prepped shallots, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan at least 8-9 inches in diameter. Place over medium heat until simmering, then reduce the heat to keep it just simmering and swirl now and again for 20-30 minutes, until the shallots and garlic have crisped and browned.

Meanwhile combine the prepped ginger, red pepper flakes, tamari or coconut aminos, and the optional sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.

When the shallots and garlic have browned and are crispy, strain into the ginger-pepper bowl, and leave the shallots and garlic to cool in the strainer (makes them crispier). When cool, stir back into the infused oil.

Keep in the fridge between uses, and yes, the recipe doubles easily (you’ll want more…).

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Spicy Ginger Celery Chicken Stir Fry

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I don’t know about you, but during these rather bizarre coronavirus-impacted days I find myself toggling back and forth between impersonating the most innovative, inquisitive chefs in the world and not really wanting to cook a damn thing that takes longer than ten minutes in the kitchen.

For the past six weeks or so we’ve leaned more to the “tackle the complicated new recipe” side of the ledger, though as we move more toward the heat of summer (we’ve already seen some temps in the high 90s here in North Texas), I’ve been seeking out meal preps that maximize interest and flavor with the least commitment of kitchen time and effort.

There are a number of great-tasting avenues to travel to accomplish those objectives, and one of our favorites happens to be crafting a tasty stir fry using flavor combinations we’ve come to appreciate over the years.

Sometime in the past few weeks a recipe similar to this one flew through my inbox; I was intrigued by the spice profile (ginger and sambal oleck always run high on my list) and the inclusion of just a few chopped dates to add an hint of earthy sweetness to the dish.

Celery quickly cooked in a hot wok preserves its tasty crunch, the peanuts (or nut of your choice adds flavor and texture interest), and I often throw in some chopped white onion and red bell pepper too.

With average knife skills you’re looking at a 15 minute-ish prep window before cooking here (OK, maybe 20 minutes) and like all stir fries, this one cooks up in a flash, particularly if you’ve been smart and followed the principle of mise en place to get everything lined up and ready to go.

(For the Paleo hardliners out there, I have included a tiny bit of cornstarch as a thickener; at least in my kitchen, cornstarch outperforms arrowroot and other thickeners in stir fries every time, and my wife really doesn’t like arrowroot’s taste. Make your substitutions as you wish.)

I happen to be writing this while helping my wife at her work place this afternoon, and we brought leftovers from last night’s stir fry for a quick lunch; it might have even been better today.

Chicken and marinade
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 tbsp + 1 tsp tamari, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
Optional: 1 tsp sugar

Sauce Ingredients
6 tbsp sambal oelek or chili garlic sauce
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
½ cup tamari, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tsp cornstarch

The rest of the goods
6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3-inches fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 large bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 celery stalks, timed, cut into ½-inch pieces (Split lengthwise if large first)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces
Optional: 6-8 ounces medjool dates, pitted, cut into ½-inch pieces
Optional: 3-4 dried red peppers
1 and ½ cups cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/3 cup avocado or olive oil
¾ to 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts or cashews

Prep the chicken first. Combine the chicken marinade ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine; now stir in the chicken until well coated, cover, and throw in the fridge.

Stir the sauce together. Stir together the sauce ingredients, set aside. Remember the sauce will need to be well stirred again before adding to suspend the corn starch.

Prep the rest of the goods. Finely chopped the garlic and ginger and set aside in a small bowl or ramekin.
Trim and cut the scallions/green onions, celery, bell pepper, and the dried peppers and dates if using; combine in a small bowl. Prep the cilantro.

Now it’s time to cook. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add the nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re toasted brown. Remove the skillet/wok from the heat and transfer the nuts (using a slotted spoon) to a small bowl, leaving the oil behind.

Now with your skillet/wok back on the heat, add the ginger/garlic mixture and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Quickly add the chicken mixture and cook, stir frequently, until no longer pink on the outside (and broken apart with no pieces clinging together). Note the chicken isn’t cooked through and will finish cooking with the rest of the vegetables.

Now stir in the scallion, celery, bell pepper, date, and dried pepper mixture; continue to cook and stir for 2-4 minutes until the scallions are bright and the celery and peppers are just beginning to tenderize (taste to be sure, you don’t want them too soft!).
Stir the sauce once more and then pour it into the wok/skillet; cook, stirring fairly often, until the sauce thickens and turns glossy. Remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro and toasted nuts and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Butter Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes and Ginger

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This past week I was chatting with a Chef Libby in Austin about different ways to prepare and enjoy the bounty of summer and fall tomatoes coming in these days.

She’d recently catered a dinner where she prepared a big batch of these Butter Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes and Ginger which she spooned over big, juicy rib eyes sizzling hot from the grill. She went on to say how her favorite way to enjoy these was simply as a side, almost like a warm salad, though she admitted she’ll polish the leftovers off cold right from the fridge too, even with the butter set up amongst the tomatoes and juice.

The recipe extends really easily, and works wonders with any fresh tomato you might have on hand, just cut the whole tomatoes up into roughly 1-inch pieces and go to it.

1 cup cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half length-wise
3 green onions, whites and pale green parts finely chopped, dark green thinly sliced
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled, finely chopped
2 tbsp grass-fed butter
2 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
Good salt to taste

Prep your ingredients; melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Now sauté the ginger and the white parts of the green onions until the ginger is fragrant (it won’t take but a minute or so), then add the tomatoes and sauté, basting with the butter until the tomatoes are warmed through.

Remove from the heat, stir in the tamari / coconut aminos, toss to combine, then season to taste with salt and top with the green onion green slices.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Snack Wednesday 9 January: Spicy Turmeric Coconut Milk (Tea)

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A friend offered us a mug of this delicious Spicy Turmeric Coconut Milk (she likes to call it a tea) one evening a few months ago. Like us she’s a big fan of spicy, full-flavored foods, and enjoys using whole spices when available (she grated fresh turmeric and ginger root for our milk/tea that evening). Her version was outstanding, and we’ve been making it regularly since.

There are dozens and dozens, if not hundreds, of different variations of golden milk floating about, my bent is to encourage you to find one that you like, and consume it liberally. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t forget the black pepper to fully activate the benefits of turmeric too.

As our palate has changed over the past several years, we find overly sweet foods and drinks almost off-putting now; if using freshly grated turmeric and ginger, we often don’t use any honey, molasses, or maple syrup at all in our golden milk (though as a child of the South, a tiny bit of molasses does make this recipe more interesting).

I hadn’t intended to spend time here this morning going over the impressive list of health benefits that turmeric (and ginger) bring to the table; we’ll come back to turmeric in particular at some point down the road and talk about details.

2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1/2 – 1 tsp ground turmeric (or 2-4 tsp freshly grated)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp freshly grated)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Optional
Honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses to taste (start with 1 tsp!)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients (save for the sweetener if using) in a small saucepan over medium heat, adding a small volume of filtered water if desired if you find the consistency too thick for your tastes. Bring to a gentle boil, remove from heat and let steep at least 5-6 minutes.

If you used grated turmeric and / or ginger, filter through a fine-meshed sieve into a pre-warmed mug, sweeten if desired, and go to it.

Enjoy.