Older Bolder Life

Stronger | Leaner | Sharper | Longer - From Older Bolder Fitness

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the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 15 August: Grilled Balsamic and Garlic Butter Mushrooms

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Talking with our compadre Chef Libby in Austin this past week, I asked her (as I love to do) what the most popular foods have been that she and her team in Austin have crafted and served in her busy catering business over the past few weeks.

She mentioned several incredibly tasty sounding items, but these Grilled Balsamic and Garlic Butter Mushrooms sounded particularly good at the time.

Libby reminded me of the simple fact that there are dozens of variations of this pretty-much effortless recipe floating around out there. She likes to add just a hint of fresh thyme to the balsamic-based marinade, and most often finishes hers with a bit of basil cut in chiffonade.

She also insisted that the garlic butter be drizzled on after the mushrooms come off the grill (or else the garlic flavor washes out a bit on the grill), and finally she offered that browning the butter and garlic deepens the flavor a bit as well.

Thanks Libby!

3 pounds smallish button mushrooms (mix and match types), halved
3 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
1 and 1/2 tbsp tamari, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, trimmed and minced, divided into two equal parts
3 tbsp good butter
Good salt to taste

Optional:
Add 1 tsp fresh thyme to the marinade
Chiffonade flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil for a garnish

Combine the balsamic vinegar, tamari/coconut aminos/soy sauce, half the garlic, and the thyme if using in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

Trim and halve the mushrooms, then toss them into a resealable plastic bag. Now pour the marinade mixture over the mushrooms, squish things around to make sure the mushrooms are well coated, seal tightly, and set on the counter for an hour or so (at least 30 minutes).

Fire the grill; while it’s heating up, drain the mushrooms and thread onto skewers. Also, melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan, then add the remainder of the garlic.

Now grill the mushrooms over medium-high heat (real wood/real wood charcoal plays amazingly well here) until well marked and softened a bit; 3-5 minutes per side pending your fire.

Pull the mushrooms, drizzle with the garlic butter, and set out immediately. You family and guests will be fighting over these…

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Sunday 12 August: Jicama Radish Salsa

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We’re always on the lookout for unusual, interesting, and tasty salsas around our camp, and this Jicama Radish Salsa fits the bill on all counts.

A few weeks ago we were dining with friends, enjoying some of the best grass-fed ribeyes we’ve eaten (BuckCreek Meats) in a long time; they served the steaks (perfectly medium-rare I must say) with this tasty salsa and a wonderful salad.

The salsa offers a crunchy texture with the jicama and radishes, the cooling, melon-like flavor note of the cucumber, with a tart citrus burst of lime, finished with a little spice and interest from the ground chile.

Wow, this one is really good.

1 medium jicama, peeled and diced small (about a cup and a half)
10 medium radishes, trimmed and diced the same size as the jicama
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice (start with 3)
3 tbsp red onion, diced small
1-2 tsp ground arbol chile (start with one)
1 tsp good salt (or more to taste)
Optional: 1/4 tsp sugar of choice

Stir everything together within an hour of serving; adjust lime juice, ground chile, and salt to taste.

Hold in the fridge if not using immediately, but don’t forget to set it out to warm slightly (room temp) 15-20 minutes before spooning over your ribeye.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 1 August: Quick Pickled Beets (and Onions)

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Growing up in a fairly austere food-household in my younger years, I’m not sure at what point I developed a taste for pickled beets. One of my grandmothers was an avid gardner and she loved to “put up” all sorts of pickled goods; her cucumber pickles (fermented dills, sweets, as well as bread and butters) were great, as were her pickled okra and “dilly beans”.

She made her pickled beets in small, crinkle-cut cubes; they were over-sweetened by primal / paleo standards but fit the cuisine of the day in South Texas, but man, oh man, they were astoundingly good.

She liked to add a bit of red or sweet onion to her pickled beets, and we do too.

We like to mix it up a bit when making quick pickles out of various root vegetables (try radishes sometime) by varying the spices we add, hence the list of consider adding spices below. Try various combinations and find your (or your family’s) favorite(s), and by all means vary the vinegars as well. The recipe below is scaled for a single quart jar by the way.

With beets coming into the farmer’s markets now, it’s time to “put some up” as my grandmother used to say…

3-4 medium size beets, trimmed
1 small red onion, trimmed, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
or
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar + 1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp pickling salt

Water as needed

Consider adding
1 tbsp pickling spice mix
Cloves (1 or 2)
Allspice berries (2-4)
Peppercorns (3-6)
A cinnamon stick
Honey (1-2 tbsp)

Trim the beets, wash (scrub) them thoroughly, throw in a pot and cover with water; bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a fork or knife.

Remove the beets from the heat, drain and rinse with cold water; when cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, and slice into approximately 1/4-inch thick slices.

Start a pot over medium heat with the vinegar(s), bay leaf, salt, and whatever spices from the “consider adding” list you want to try. Stir the honey in if using. When boiling, turn off the heat and set aside.

While the vinegar mixture is heating up, take a sterilized one-quart canning jar and layer the sliced beets and onions in artfully, taking care to pack fairly tightly. When full, pour the just-boiled liquids over the beets, leaving about 1/2-inch headspace.

Leave on the counter to cool, then screw on the lid and into the fridge they go. The beets will be better a day or two down the road, but will be tasty within a few hours of setting them up. With appropriate cautions, they’re probably good for up to two weeks, but ours never last that long.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 25 July: Versatile Vegetable Kimchi

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Recognizing that it’s supposed to be hot during the dog days of high summer, the past few weeks here (just north of the DFW metroplex) have been scorching – 112 on the hottest day in our little neighborhood.

We find ourselves reach more and more for something crisp and cool to accompany proteins for dinner, and while slaws and salads are on the menu often, we sometimes get a hankering for something with a bit more flavor and acidity.

We’d played with making traditional kimchi in years past, though had our eyes opened to pushing the kimchi boundaries a bit after fighting over the last bit of collard green kimchi on a butter bean hummus plate at Ida Claire in Dallas a couple of years ago (served with a great array of vegetables by the way).

At one point I reached out to chef friend Libby in Austin to pick her brain about kimchi, and she suggested we try her quick Versatile Vegetable Kimchi recipe below. She noted that she makes it with what ever vegetables look good and are handy, including cucumbers, carrots, radishes, beets, and even turnips.

She offered up a few key pieces of additional advice as well, including a reminder that the recipe is best considered to be a framework to start from– e.g. if you like more ginger, put it in, and that if you’re going to age it longer than a few days, it’s probably best not to use the darkest green parts of your scallions as they tend to get a bit slimy the longer they sit in the pot or jar. She serves it within a few days of stirring a batch together at catering events, as the taste is milder; the longer you let it sit in the fridge, the taste gets a bit more “funky” as fermentation works its magic.

2 lb cucumbers, ends trimmed, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar

10 scallions, cut on diagonal into 1 inch pieces, use the white and pale green sections
1/3 cup (or more) gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes, coarse) OR
1.5 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, ground
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoons fish sauce

Veg options: radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, string beans, asparagus

Toss your prepped vegetable of choice, the salt, and sugar in a large bowl; now let it sit (covered with a clean towel) at room temperature for 2-3 hours to begin to pull some water out of the vegetables.

Add the remainder of the ingredients, stirring to mix well and make sure everything is coated.

Spoon into clean quart jars, making sure to divide the liquid equally among the jars, leaving about an inch of headspace. Cover loosely and leave on the counter (out of direct sunlight) for up to two days to begin the magic of fermentation. YOU CAN of course start eating on a jar right away, seems like we always do…

Once you’re happy with evidence of fermentation, throw in the fridge, where the flavors will deepen and mature over the next week as fermentation slowly moves onward. Supposedly this will keep for up to two months in the fridge; we can’t ever make it that long (they only last about a week or so in our kitchen).

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 22 July: Ring the Bell (Pepper) Salad

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Here’s another incredible offering from the kitchen of our catering chef buddy Libby in Austin – her Ring the Bell (Pepper) Salad.

Great looking bell peppers are available in abundance right now; she (and we) like to use orange, yellow, and red peppers as they make for a stunning presentation with the onion and herbs, and they simply taste great.

It’s easy as pie to stir together, and you can sub in whatever herbs float your boat, though this is the original recipe as written from Libby. She occasionally crumbles in some feta or Cotija cheese (my wife prefers the feta), and we like it best with a really good avocado oil drizzled in…

2 orange bell peppers, thinly sliced into rings
2 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced into rings
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced into rings
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar (or Sherry vinegar)
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley (flat leaf), chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
Optional: 1 tsp fresh thyme
2-3 tbsp EVOO or good avocado oil

Optional: Crumble in some good feta or Cotija cheese just before serving

This one couldn’t be easier to put together. Wash and slice the bell peppers, then combine with the sliced red onion. Sprinkle with the vinegar, salt, and pepper, toss to coat, then let them sit for 15-20 minutes to soften and absorb a bit of the vinegar.

When ready to serve, add the herbs and oil, toss to coat, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 20 July: Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb

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Last week we shared a quick discussion about road trip foods; the concepts would of course apply to those camping or exploring new territory otherwise ensconced in a hotel or vacation rental.

One of the foods we like to take along, certainly in the warmer months of the year, is a grilled leg of lamb. There are a host of great ways to prepare and grill a leg of lamb; we love traditional Greek flavors around our camp, though we reach for this Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb three out of four times lamb is on the menu.

You need to plan ahead a bit, as it’s much better soaking in the marinade overnight (up to 24 hours). And it’s very much worth tracking down fresh oregano and genuine ancho chile powder (check the Hispanic foods aisle at your favorite grocer, spices and chiles are often much more reasonably priced there). Don’t be afraid of the garlic amount either; when we originally pilfered this recipe from Chef Libby in Austin, her’s called for 14-16 cloves!

By the way, this is great hot of the grill, and maybe even better chilled the next few days.

1 cup white wine
1/3 cup good olive oil
6 tbsp fresh oregano
2 green onions
10 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp ancho chile powder
3 tbsp good blended chili powder
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 generous tbsp fresh ground black pepper

1- 4 to 5 pound, grass-fed leg of lamb, trimmed and butterflied

Combine everything (but the lamb!) in your trusty blender and blend well; add more wine if too thick. Slather the leg of lam in the marinade, rubbing it into the nooks and crannies; place the leg of lamb (covered in all of the marinade) in the fridge overnight, consider using a two-gallon plastic bag to ensure better coverage. Turn it once before you go to bed and again in the morning.

Fire your grill, and note you’ll need a fire with some staying power; we like this over oak and natural hardwood charcoal. Gently shake excess marinade from the lamb (but don’t shake it all off) and let it rumble along for 15-18 minutes per side. It’s medium rare at 130 though you’ll want this big piece of meat to rest for 15 minutes or so.

Once rested, artfully slice thinly against the grain and pour some of those incredible pan juices that oozed out while it was resting over it. Holy smoke, that’s good.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 13 July: Lemony Spiced Salmon Kabobs

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Years ago, living and working in the Salt Lake City valley, we befriended a couple who, among a bevy of interesting quirks, were partners with another guy in a small Alaskan fishing business.

This ‘other guy’ had a boat and spent a fair part of every summer up there and fished (commercially); he sold some of his take to the big canneries, but some, he packed up on ice in coolers, threw on a direct Delta flight, and were then sold by our friends out of their garage, most often 24 hours or less out of the water. And at prices far, far less than local fish markets (there weren’t multiple hands clamoring to take a cut out of the pie).

The halibut was amazing, but the salmon was simply stunning.

I’ll share in the next few weeks our all time favorite fresh salmon marinade (thanks, Judy!), but these kabobs are also one of our favorites (we just did a batch last week).

The kabobs are delicious and Instagram worthy as written, even more so with some thinly sliced vegetables threaded on the skewers, but a tip from a chef friend now has us grilling separate vegetable skewers as cook times differ a bit…

For the spice mix
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 T dried)
2 tsp white sesame seeds
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp good smoked paprika
1 tsp good pink or kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 lemons, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
2 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil

1 and 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into approx. 1.5 inch pieces

Optional: Thinly sliced baby zucchini, summer squash, red bell pepper squares, etc

For the spice mix, we find it easier to dump all the spice mix ingredients into a mini-processor and whirl them together.

Onto pairs of skewers thread salmon and half-slices of lemon (alternating of course); if you choose to throw some vegetables into the mix, either artfully thread them onto the skewers with the lemon and salmon, or construct several vegetable only skewers.

Brush each skewer with the oil, dust generously with the spice mix, and grill, rotating every 1-2 minutes, until the fish is done to your liking.

Enjoy.

Older Bolder Life Foundations: There is a Far, Far Better Way to Eat

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There is indeed a far, far better way to eat, using a diet format that fits our human physiology better than any other. This food plan is intuitively simple, is accessible to just about anyone and everyone, is packed with nutrients, and probably most importantly – is built for the long-haul as it’s tasty, satisfying, and allows you to be as creative as ever in the kitchen. And for those who want to dig deep into the science behind their own physiology, appears to make the most sense in terms of the science-based evidence in hand today.

I’m talking about a low carbohydrate, moderate protein, high fat approach to nourishment (LC/MP/HF); it’s not a novel approach at this point in mid-2018, but appears to be the optimal one for human physiology (for the vast, vast majority of us on the planet today at least) based on evolving scientific understanding of how the body works, in particular with regard to the cadre of hormones that regulate nutrient transport, metabolism, storage, and your hunger.

Granted, there are plenty who disagree, and on a variety of grounds (many of which are based on preference and not physiology). And there are a host of criticisms of LC/MP/HF that typically mischaracterize the approach in some way; i.e. eating low carb means you never any any carbs at all. That’s fine, after all, we’re all ultimately personally responsible for how our bodies function, and how we relate to the world around us.

If you’re truly serious about living life as fully as possible, optimizing your physical, cognitive, and emotional/spiritual potential, you cannot ignore the body of science and experience detailing the successes of low carbohydrate, moderate protein, high fat food plans. Here are just a few of the reasons the LC/MP/HF approach works.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Tastes Good

One of the keys for success of any long term, healthy eating plan is that is has to taste good. A simple concept, yet so often ignored in the past (I’m remembering one of my yo-yo dieting parents eating cabbage braised in tomato juice twice a day for weeks as child…). For a long term eating plan to succeed there needs to be an vast array of food choices that are satisfying and attractive, and eating nutrient-dense, fresh, healthy carbs (leafy greens with high fat dressing, crispy steamed broccoli dripping with butter, sautéed mushrooms, and more), fits the bill quite nicely.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Puts Insulin In Its Place

Insulin plays a number of roles in the body, with one of its principle tasks being to store excess nutrition, and it does so by storing fat. High carb diets chronically keep insulin elevated, keeping fat locked in storage, and the longer you live with elevated levels of insulin, the more risk you become of developing insulin-resistance, which among other devastating things makes it much harder to drop excess body fat.

Eating a low carb/good carb diet lowers insulin levels, one of the first critical steps in getting you back on the healthy track.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Increase Fat Intake (And Fat Ain’t the Bad Guy)

Long demonized in the Standard American Diet (SAD), fats are very likely the preferred, optimal fuel for your body to primarily run on, a point we’ll be addressing at length here over time. Among many other things, fat in a meal slows gastric emptying, prolonging a sense of satiety, which means you’re not eating for longer periods, and thus overall lowering calorie intake (which for most of us, is a good and necessary thing!)

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Emphasizes Quality Protein

Particularly as we age, lean muscle mass diminishes (there are host of reasons for this), and protein intake is critical to combat this natural decline; it’s even more important in the setting of trying to lose excess body fat – you want to the fat to go away, not the muscle!

Quality protein in the diet, particularly in the setting of low carbs, contributes massively to your sensation of satiety, meaning you’re less hungry, sharper longer, and break out of the carb-crash roller coaster pattern the SAD provides.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Implies Embracing the Good and Dumping the Bad

There are several foods, ironically centerpieces of the typical American diet, that contribute more to the damaged and deranged health of the population than anything else – sugar, grains, and the highly-oxidized, polyunsaturated, industrially-processed vegetable and seed oils being the worst of all.

Eating a SAD diet, these three categories often make up the preponderance of calories consumed, despite the hard science record that carbs are the principle driver in determining body composition and that excess glucose (yep, we’re looking right at you grains and sugars) is the root culprit fostering the obesity epidemic and the flood of disorders (i.e. T2DM, heart disease) that walk hand in hand with it.

This isn’t a carb-phobic approach – it’s sweeping the crap carbs out of your diet, and replacing them fully with nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, healthy carbs at levels that make sense physiologically.

This is a meaty topic (slight pun intended), and one not well-covered in a few paragraphs; there’ll be much more to come and there’s a plethora of great information at your fingertips today.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Works Quickly

Not intentionally referring to the quick loss of water weight that often occurs when transitioning to a LC diet (there’s no question that early success in weight loss efforts often encourages longer-term compliance), but more to the reality that particularly in the obese, dropping carbs to a “low or very low” level (in the setting of appropriate protein and fat intake) often leads to rapid drops in fat stores (maybe even targeting belly fat).

My own experiences speaks to this phenomenon of rapid weight loss; after a 100 lb weight loss and subsequent stall, entering a period of thoughtful nutritional ketosis led to a prolonged run of dropping 2 to 2.5 lb of fat per week, eating to absolute satiety every single day.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb is Easy, Intuitive, and Simple to Follow

During my years in practice, I advised overweight patients (when treating their bone, muscle, joint, or spine issues), to take a serious run at weight loss; most often I steered them to what I used to call ‘rational’ programs – like Weight Watchers and The Zone. The most common complaints/reasons for failure that I heard over and over was the fact that patients found the regimented programs too restrictive and regimented, difficult to learn, and unsatisfying.

Successful diets and food plans – whether pursuing weight loss, optimizing health, or high level athletic pursuits – are based on simple, easy to understand, almost common-sense principles that allow one to intuitively navigate the sea of food choices laid before us every day. A carefully crafted LC/MP/HF approach, like Primal and Paleo for example, offer just such a framework.

Eating Low Carb/Good Carb Packs in Nutrients, Not Calories

I’m often stunned at how often a LC skeptic will assert that eating a low carb diet is harmful from the standpoint of missing out on key nutrients. The assertion is almost shamefully easy to counter, as in replacing calorie-dense, carb-dense foods – bread with every meal for example – with a fresh leafy green (or sautéed spinach, broccoli rabe, or green beans, etc.). Doing so ups your micronutrient density significantly, and adds a host of healthy phytochemicals as well.

Sugars are devoid of micronutrients, and grains bring along a lot of unsavory baggage in addition to their unfavorable carbohydrate density – namely lectins (including of course gluten), micronutrient-binding phytates, and the little discussed protein gliadin, binding to opiate-receptors in the brain (more on this little gem later).

More to come.