Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh

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Here’s another great summer and early fall side bursting with flavor, featuring some of the best fresh produce (late summer tomatoes and cucumbers), and as an added bonus this dish is best served chilled (it still scorching hot here in North Texas these days).

And while it’s a piece of cake to make riced cauliflower at home (hello box grater or food processor), of late given a crazy August schedule we’ve taken to using the organic pre-riced cauliflower available via Costco. It’s been consistent, affordable, delicious – and time-saving.

It is of course critical that you use the freshest herbs and vegetables that you can get your hands on for this one, and we think it’s unquestionably better with a handful of toasted/roasted pine nuts and a handful of a good crumbled feta thrown in at the last minute before serving.

1 medium head cauliflower OR
1 pound bag of pre-riced cauliflower

5 tbsp good EVOO, divided
1 tsp good salt (+ more to taste), divided
2 cups flat leaf parsley (included tender stems)
1 cup mint leaves
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3-4 green onions, pale-green and white parts only
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 medium cucumber (or more), peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6-8 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered

Optional
1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup nicoise or kalamata olives, chopped

If using fresh cauliflower, grate it using the largest holes on a box grater, then microwave or sauté with 1 tbsp of oil and 1/2 tsp of salt until just tender (3 minutes or so). Spread to cool on a large platter or baking sheet.

Coarsely chop the parsley, mint, green onions, and lemon zest (food processor or by hand if your knife skills are sharp), then combine in a bowl with the lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 cup EVOO, and the remaining salt.

Now stir in the cauliflower rice until well mixed, then gently fold in the cucumber, tomatoes, feta, nuts, and olives if using. Adjust for salt, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Ancho Coffee Pork Tenderloin

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Back a few weeks ago when I posted this Crispy Ancho Coffee Chicken recipe I had a hunch that this particular rub would work wonders on a grass-fed/pastured pork tenderloin. I have to admit, and again readily confess I didn’t develop that recipe (see the prior post) – this spice mixture is just damn good (if not great).

In fact I wrote this about it over on our fly fishing blog ChiWulff several weeks ago –

The flavor of ancho chiles has always kinda reminded me of a sorta sweet, sorta smokey raisin, with a little bit of heat added for interest; combined here with the cumin and just a bit of a dark, freshly ground coffee and good salt, the ancho anchors this very interesting, and tasty, crust.

Over the grill these need to watched carefully and managed over indirect heat or the spices will burn; we think the best way to cook a batch of these up is to sauté them in a skillet in EVOO or avocado oil, taking care to give them time to develop a crispy crust before turning.

Amazing in a taco with all the fixin’s, or topping a tostada or a big-assed salad, these were awesome a few days back on a bed of shredded lettuce and a great guacamole. What a great boat lunch on a hot summer day these would make too…

Well, the rub works amazingly well on pork tenderloin as well, and speaking of pork tenderloin, have you tried cooking it medium rare using a sous vide technique? Sous vide is a wonderful tool to use to produce great proteins (and more), and pork tenderloin, along with a great steak (ribeye around our house), might just be the crown jewel of sous vide meats in terms of bang for your buck and return on your (rather modest) efforts.

By all means you don’t have to sous vide these, a careful grill or roast in the oven would work just fine, but if you’re waffling on sous vide, find a friend with a machine and cook this recipe together – you’ll be hooked for life.

And finally, you can serve pork tenderloin any number of ways, but consider a New Mexico-inspired “red and green” plate (as in the image above) using our Easy Romesco Sauce and either this Columbian Aji or this Columbian Guacamole. Wow, was that delicious.

4 parts fresh ancho chile powder
4 parts ground cumin
1 part (scant) good salt
1/2 to 1 part finely ground fresh dark roast coffee

2 pastured pork tenderloins, silver skin removed

Combine the ancho powder, cumin, salt, and finely ground coffee in a small bowl, stir to mix well.

While not really necessary, I like to paint the pork tenderloins with a bit of apple cider vinegar, then rub with the spice mixture. Cover tightly and throw in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

If cooking sous vide, heat your water bath to 130-135 (F), and cook using routine methods for an hour. Remove, drain, and let rest for 15-30 minutes at room temperature before searing quickly in butter and avocado oil on the stove top or on the grill (my preferred). Don’t sweat it when the rub/spice mixture darkens significantly when seared/grilled – it’s the spices and you’re not burning the outer layer. Don’t forget to be quick about this process to preserve that delightful medium rare cook you’ve just done perfectly in the sous vide bath.

If grilling, cook over medium-high indirect heat per routine, until done to your liking (though I’d personally never cook these past medium…). Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Serve as desired, and enjoy.

the Older Bolder Bookshelf: The Primal Blueprint from Mark Sisson

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I’ve shared with readers here on the Older Bolder Life before that my wife and I, as well as our offspring, have all ended up being avid readers. My wife is a book a week or better reader typically, and I’m holding steady on my quest to read 80 books or better this year. That in part led to me starting a feature here on the blog covering books worthy of your library, mainly focusing on great cookbooks, and general health and fitness/wellness works, leaning most often to the ancestral health side of things in particular.

There’s no way possible to have the discussion about influential books written in the past quarter century covering health and wellness without mentioning Mark Sisson’s The New Primal Blueprint.

Sisson’s story is both inspiring and instructive; a bright, inquisitive individual pursues very high level endurance running as an amateur and later professionally to the point of physical injury and breakdown, coaches for a bit, and then begins to tinker with nutrition plans that lie “outside the box” of conventional medical/nutritional and athletic performance wisdom.

I’d challenge you to name an other single individual who has had the worldwide influence in the past 10-15 years that Sisson has (Dr. Gundry perhaps); Sisson’s goal of helping millions has indeed come to fruition, and he’s clearly not done yet.

I personally resonate deeply with the Primal version of the classic paleo approach, and as a physician find the principles of Sisson’s Primal Blueprint for the most part absolutely sound, grounded in commonsense, and eminently applicable for most.

The book spends a fair amount of time detailing Mark’s story, an overview of the ever-accelerating nutritional evolution (maybe that’s better said as revolution) happening around the world today, as well his (let’s go ahead and say it) ingenious 10 Primal Blueprint Laws – for those who aren’t familiar, I’ve posted an image from his site summarizing his core concepts.

The book itself is encyclopedic, and might be for many a somewhat intimidating read given its length and detail. For those looking to make a true lifestyle change, that detail is however critical, and thankfully, wonderfully instructive.

I refer to my copy (purchased, not provided for a review) at least weekly as I dig up some detail, reference, or example for clients, family, and friends, and have actually given away a number as gifts.

Worth having a copy on your bookshelf? Absolutely.

The Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Quick No-Cook Tomato Sauce

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As the wonderful tomatoes continue to pour into farmers markets these long summer days, we’ve been fiddling around with various recipes for to savor their peak summer flavors.

Of course we’re talking tomatoes on the menu for the nightshade tolerant and those who choose to partake; remember they’re a potent source of lectins per Dr. Gundry, but also packed with lycopene and other beneficial phytochemical warriors, along with vitamins C, A, and host of the Bs as well.

We’ve tended to drift a bit over the past few years from our historical family consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based sauces given our bent toward a keto-inspired food plan, and the sometimes hefty carb counts some tomato sauces in particular have. Like many of you, we’ve transitioned to much less sweet (no additional sweetener) homemade primal ketchup, meatza sauces, etc.

In particular lately I’ve been searching for a no-cook tomato sauce to pour over various vegetable noodles or konjac pastas, and we’ve finally settled on this Quick No-Cook Tomato Sauce as being our favorite.

Why? The combination of a flavor-packed tomato puree (along with garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes) with halved grape or cherry tomatoes, along with the nuts – is simply delicious, and it’s different enough to be novel and interesting as well. Mind the garlic – my wife thinks two large cloves is too much in terms of pungent raw garlic flavor, though garlic lovers may want to throw that third clove in…

The nuts are a great play as well; we’ve used hazelnuts (our fave), almonds, and macadamias – don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.

1/2 cup almonds or hazelnuts

1 pound grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp good salt

1 medium to large fresh garden tomato, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, divided
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 good olive oil
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp good salt, more to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Toast your nut of choice at 350 for 6-8 minutes; cool and then roughly chop and set aside.

Halve the grape or cherry tomatoes, throw in a large bowl, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.

Into your trusty food processor or blender goes the large chopped tomato, 1/2 the basil, 3 tbsp of the chopped nuts, the garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, and the other 1/2 tsp of salt. Blend/puree until smooth, then pour over the halved tomatoes.

Stir to combine, then stir in the rest of the basil, the remaining nuts, and the olive oil; mix well. Adjust for salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sweet Potato Hashbrown Cheeseburger Pie

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Several weeks ago a friend approached me and asked for help adapting a video recipe she’d seen recently for an upcoming backyard party she was hosting for a group of her daughter’s teen friends.

Apparently they’d discussed doing something “different than the usual burgers and dogs” and wanted a tasty dish that would appeal to teenage palates and yet reasonably accommodate their own recently-adopted paleo/primal food plan.

The video was a fairly uninspired version of this recipe, with store-bought, industrial seed oil-prepared string potato crisps as the bottom layer, devoid of any spice, yet it offered some promise.

We set to experimenting a bit, playing with different versions of sweet potato for the foundation – including crisped up oven fries, sautéed crispy home-style fries (medium dice), though for taste, texture, and interest, finally settling (somewhat to my surprise, I first guessed that homemade oven fries would win out) on this hashbrown version where we essentially made a large sweet potato rosti for the base and then built the cheeseburger “pie” on top of that.

We’ve even served this recently for an informal dinner with friends, where it was a big hit. And as with any burger you can dream up – add whatever tickles your fancy to the stack, like sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, your favorite quick guacamole, pickled onions or jalapeños, and so on…

Don’t be intimidated by making a giant rosti, just pat the grated hash browns out into your largest skillet (preheated with a bit of avocado oil) and cook over medium heat until browned and crispy. Slide the rosti out onto a large cutting board or platter, place another cutting board or platter over and invert, then slide the rosti – uncooked side down – back into the pan to finish. My big skillet is large enough that I needed to cut the rosti in half to fit it onto a sheet pan without overlapping the sides. Easy peasy, and well worth the effort.

2 large organic sweet potatoes, trimmed and grated
1 tsp good salt
2-3 tbsp avocado oil

1/3 pound bacon in 1/4-inch dice
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound grass fed ground beef
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp good salt

1/3 cup avocado oil mayo (homemade is best!)
1/3 cup homemade Primal ketchup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup dill pickle chips, finely diced
2-3 tbsp dill pickle brine

1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese of choice
Handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
Small head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Clean and trim the sweet potatoes, then grate. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add half the avocado oil, and then spread the grated sweet potatoes in the pan, patting into a firm, even layer. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the bottom begins to brown; lift an edge to peek. You may need to turn the heat down if getting too crispy. When browned, turn the rosti as per the last paragraph above. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until browned, then slide onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet (you may need to cut it in half if you have a big skillet as we do).

Now sauté the diced bacon until crispy, remove to drain, leaving the drippings in the pan. Sauté the onions until softened (6-7 minutes over medium heat), then add the ground beef, cumin, chile powder, and salt. Cook until the meat is browned and crisp, breaking it up as you go; set aside when done.

While the meat is browning, to make the sauce combine the mayo, ketchup, sour cream, pickle chips, and brine; set aside when well mixed. Grate the cheese, rinse and halve the tomatoes, and shred the lettuce.

When ready to assemble, fire the oven broiler, then spread the hamburger mixture over the potato cake, top with the grated cheese, and then the bacon. Slide under the broiler until the cheese has melted. Drizzle with the sauce, top with the shredded lettuce and tomatoes, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Wednesday: Libby’s Verde Cashew Wonder Sauce

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This past week I was chatting with our friend Chef Libby in Austin about different sauces she uses to dress-up proteins during the long, hot Texas summers, adding interest and flavor to the food she dishes up in her catering business.

Being based in Austin she of course has a decided bias toward the flavors of Texas, one of her favorites being Tex-Mex or Southwestern cuisine (I share her bias as well!). She’s been using a variety of nut-based recipes the past few years to create innovative sauces; this has in part been driven by increasing requests for vegan-compliant recipes, but also because they just taste good, hold well, and can be worked into a variety of other dressings and flavor profiles.

One of her go-to versions is what she calls her Verde Cashew Wonder Sauce, based on either raw or roasted cashews, a handful of flavor-packed fresh herbs, a splash of acid, and whatever flavor additions her recipes for the day call for.

Libby insists her very favorite version uses fresh lime juice (instead of the vinegar), cilantro, and a bit of arugula for its peppery bite, along with a chopped serrano or two, though she was careful to point out that the sky is the limit in terms of what herbs to use.

She also noted there were two other minor decisions to make; one, whether to use raw or roasted cashews. Of course, if using roasted cashews, be mindful of the oil they’re roasted in, and you’ll (most likely) want to dial back the added salt (adjust to taste). After making dozens and dozens of recipe batches, she said she prefers to use roasted nuts for the added flavor dimension as well.

The second decision to make is whether or not to soak the nuts for 10 minutes prior to blending; Libby said her vegan chef friend who taught her the recipe always soaked raw cashews, though Libby insists the recipe works just as well without soaking in her kitchen, whether using raw or roasted nuts.

We’ve enjoyed this one alongside a bit crudite platter and cold ancho cumin coffee roasted pork tenderloin this week…

2 cups cashews, either raw or roasted
1 cup fresh, tender herbs, i.e. parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, chives, etc
2-3 tbsp unseasoned rice or white vinegar
1-2 tsp good salt
1 cup (plus a bit more) filtered water

Optional (see notes above)
1-2 crushed garlic
Lime or lemon juice instead of the vinegar
Chipotles in adobe
Other fresh peppers (i.e. jalapeño or serrano)

If soaking the cashews: bring two cups of water to a boil, place the cashews in a heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over, cover for 10 minutes, then drain.

To prepare, add the nuts to your trusty blender, add the herbs, vinegar or citrus juice, salt, and one cup filtered water. Blend for one to two minutes until smooth and yogurt-like; you will likely need to add a bit more water.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Spicy Thai-Inspired Shrimp Stir-fry

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Growing up years ago, both my wife and I had grandparents who lived, at least part of the time, a stone’s throw from the Texas Gulf coast. We have common memories of beach-combing, big bonfires, hot and steamy summer days, and eating lots of stunningly fresh seafood.

Later living in the northern Rockies (small town Montana) for years made accessing fresh seafood (from anywhere) a surmountable but expensive challenge, though being back down in Texas for a spell has made the seafood game much easier, something we’ve thoroughly enjoyed given the amazing benefits – flavor and health – that seafood brings to the table.

My wife loves good shrimp, and while it’s hard to turn down a big platter of iced and spiced boiled shrimp, I personally probably lean to cold-water fish as being my absolute favorite seafood.

That said, this Spicy Thai-Inspired Shrimp Stir-Fry recipe, recently shared by our friend Chef Libby in Austin, and I believe originally sourced from one similar published in the past several years in Bon Appetit, might just have rolled to the very top of our seafood favorites list.

It’s packed with great flavors, including the herbal heat from the jalapeños (or Fresnos), a hefty handful of garlic, and with lemongrass and fish sauce thrown in to ensure you’ve hit all the taste senses and flavor notes. The wilted basil takes this one over the top, and don’t forget the spritz of lime at the end.

Of note, there’s a little bit of sugar in the marinade to aid in caramelization, leave it out if you wish, but as you’re not cooking the marinade in the final dish, you’ll have minuscule amounts of actual sugar clinging to the shrimp as they’re cooked.

4 red jalapeños (or Fresnos in a pinch), stemmed, seeded, chopped
7-8 garlic cloves, smashed
3 and 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or EVOO
2 tbsp good fish sauce
1 tbsp minced lemongrass or lemongrass puree
1 and 1/2 tsp good salt
1-2 tbsp sugar (see note above, optional)

1 and 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1-2 tbsp avocado oil or EVOO
2-3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 or 2 limes, quartered

Prep the shrimp and set aside.

Into your trusty blender go the peppers, garlic cloves, 3.5 tbsp of your oil of choice, fish sauce, lemongrass, salt, and sugar if using. Blend until smooth, then pour over the shrimp, mixing well (use your hands) to ensure the shrimp are well coated.

Marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes; can cover and throw in the fridge for up to an hour if desired.

When ready to cook, heat a tbsp of oil in a fairly large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1/3 to 1/2 of the shrimp (use a slotted spoon to leave the marinade behind) to the skillet in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes, checking one or two make sure they’re developing some color or char around the edges; then turn and cook for another minute or so.

Remove the first batch to a plate, then repeat with the remaining shrimp. When the second batch is done, remove the pan from the heat, dump the first batch of shrimp back into the pan along with the basil, and stir/toss until the basil begins to wilt.

Plate and serve with lime wedges; if you have a crowd, this is a very attractive dish presented on a large platter.

Enjoy.

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.