Older Bolder Life

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The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken

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Now and again we stumble across a recipe that makes me wonder where has this delicious food been all our lives?

Today’s Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken is one of those recipes; working through some trials to dial this one in has led to my lovely wife consistently stealing all the leftovers for her work lunch, and her insisting this one drop immediately into the weekly rotation.

This recipe, intended I suppose originally for the grill, was crafted to use chicken thighs, given their deep, rich flavor and tendency to not dry out when properly handled quickly over the fire, though chicken breasts, reasonably thinly sliced in long strips and threaded on the skewers work well too – just don’t overcook and dry them out.

That said, rained out one evening I had a recipe version test planned, I seared the chicken up in a big carbon steel skillet and it was outrageously good, so there’s your backup plan if for some reason grilling is out.

Finally, with regard to something to sweeten the recipe, traditionally most would reach for brown sugar here. Count me among those who would rationally argue that a tablespoon or two (or even a little more) of brown sugar in a marinade, over the long run and done occasionally, isn’t something to lose sleep over (though no doubt there are those among the Paleo and Keto police who would disagree vehemently).

We have trialed this one with several different sugar / sweetener subs, and found them all off-putting compared to the recipe as written below using a bit of brown sugar. One of the great things about being a big kid and cooking your own food is that you get to make the call on your own ingredient list – modify to your heart’s content.

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp rice vinegar (best with unseasoned)
1/2 cup hot chile paste
1/3 cup Sriracha
1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetener of choice, see note above
2-3 tbsp finely sliced green onions, white and pale green parts
1 tbsp grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
2-3 tsp grated or finely chopped garlic

1 and 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (skinless, boneless) cut roughly into 2-inch pieces

Combine the marinade/sauce ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well to mix and dissolve whatever sweetener you’ve elected to use. Pour approximately 1/3 of the mixture into a large resealable bag, reserve the remainder in the fridge.

Now add the chicken to the bagged marinade, and squish it around to coat all the chicken. Seal the bag and let is rest in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.

When ready to cook, fire the grill, and thread the chicken pieces onto your skewers of choice (don’t forget to soak the bamboo skewers for an hour beforehand if that’s your cup of tea). I like to use the double skewer technique to keep the pieces from spinning on the turns.

As the grill is heating, pour the reserved marinade/sauce into a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring it to a simmer and slowly reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon, then set aside.

Grill the chicken turning every two minutes or so and basting at each turn with the reduced sauce; these will need 8-10 minutes pending how hot your fire is.

Great hot or cold, and set the remaining sauce on the table for who want to drizzle a little more heat on…

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Monday: Grilled Jalapeño, Onion, and Pepita Salsa

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Here’s a nifty salsa that will fit right into your summer grilling routine – a Grilled Jalapeño, Onion, and Pepita Salsa.

Grilled onions are a favorite side around our kitchen, they’re crazy simple to do – just quarter a medium to large sized red, white, or yellow onion through the root end (it keeps the onion layers together), slather with your favorite oil (olive or avocado for us), douse with a generous sprinkle of good salt and fresh ground pepper, and throw em on the grill.

This salsa highlights the onion’s grilled sweetness, and along with the spice of the jalapeños, the crunch of the pepitas, and the tart burst from the lime juice, this salsa is a wonderful accompaniment to any protein hot off the grill.

It’ll hold for a day in the fridge, though we think it’s best eaten soon after stirring it together (the pepitas are still crunchy).

2 quarters of medium white onion, cut through the root end
1 quarter of medium red onion, cut through the root end
3-4 jalapeños
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup roasted pepitas, chopped
1/4 cup good olive or avocado oil
3 to 4 tbsp fresh lime juice
Good salt to taste

Grill the onions and jalapeños until blistered, let cool. (If you’re not firing the grill for another reason, you can also blister in cast iron skillet over medium high heat, or directly over the flame of a gas burner).

Finely chopped the onion and stemmed and seeded jalapeños, then combine with the cilantro, pepitas, oil of choice, lime juice, and salt in a small serving bowl.

This will hold in the fridge for up to a day, but as it sits the pepitas soften and their flavor begins to dampen a bit. Serve at room temp.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Ancho Lemongrass Chile Oil

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We’re always on the lookout around our camp for interesting condiments that bring new dimensions of flavor to the table.

We happened to be in Austin recently and dined at one of our old haunts from our time there years ago, the Buenos Aires Cafe; they serve the best chimichurri I’ve personally ever tasted in my life, and we enjoyed it yet again.

We happened to be sitting near the kitchen, and I heard the chefs on duty chatting about a version of this Ancho Lemongrass Chile Oil. I happened to pester them for a taste and eventually a rough “back of the napkin” recipe, which I’ve played around with here at home to bring more in alignment with a Paleo/Primal palate (the oil in particular).

The fruity, almost raisin-like texture and taste of the oil soaked ancho chiles is wonderful; and as you can see from the image above, I like to throw in enough ancho to make this more of a paste than an oil drizzle. The combination of the shallots, garlic, and fresh ginger with the pepper is unique and just fits, as does the hint of lemongrass from the lemongrass puree. By the way, cutting the cleaned and seeded anchos with your kitchen shears makes it easy to pare the peppers down to size.

Perfect with grilled proteins hot of the grill, we served this over spaghetti squash a few nights ago and it was amazing – almost like an ancho lemongrass pesto….

1 large or 2 small shallots, trimmed and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch nob of fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup avocado or mild olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 tsp good salt
1 tbsp lemongrass puree
2 large ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn or chopped (see note)
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (salted), chopped
1-2 tsp fish sauce

Combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, salt, and the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, adjusting the heat as needed, until the shallot is just beginning to brown around the edges (15-20 minutes).

Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the lemongrass puree, prepped ancho chiles, and the red pepper flakes. Let cool slowly, every 20 minutes for an hour, until the dried ancho pieces begin to soften.

Now into the blender the mixture goes for a quick puree, though be sure and leave some texture here (you want to be able to distinguish some of the chile pieces).

Pour into a small bowl, stir in the chopped peanuts and fish sauce, adjust for salt.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Turmeric Mojo Grilled Shrimp

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For a variety of reasons this summer, not the least of which is they just taste great, we’ve pledged to enjoy more fresh Gulf shrimp here at home.

It helps that I’ve stumbled across a vendor who flies fresh shrimp to the DFW metro several days a week from the Texas coast where the shrimp have been caught early that morning, packed, and loaded on the plane before noon. I’m sure this recipe would work with quality frozen shrimp as well, though I haven’t tested that in my kitchen yet…

That said, for years we’ve been big fans of the tropical flavors that a good mojo can bring to the table (figuratively and literally), though you do need to remember that the acids in the fresh juices and vinegar can chemically “cook” seafood fairly quickly. You don’t want to leave your shrimp in the mojo for longer than it takes to get your grill fired (wood or gas), and don’t forget to save half the mojo for dipping or drizzling over the shrimp at service.

And by the way, two quick thoughts on the mojo. While lemongrass isn’t a typical mojo ingredient, it plays very well here with the shrimp (and probably would with any seafood) here. And don’t be intimidated by the habanero peppers; yes, they’re hot (mind your fingers – no eye rubbing after prepping these peppers!), but they bring a fruity, floral heat that can’t be duplicated. (We actually make this with anywhere from 5-7 peppers, though are long time chile-heads.)

We most recently devoured this with a Chile Peanut Cauliflower Rice recipe we’re working on, and hot damn, it was amazing.

3 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
8 medium garlic cloves, crushed
3.5” piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp lemongrass puree
½-1 tsp. ground turmeric
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil, plus more for grill
Good salt
1.5 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Optional
1 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice

Prep your shrimp and fresh ingredients.

Combine the chiles, garlic, ginger, both juices, the rice vinegar, lemongrass puree, and turmeric in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine. With the device running, drizzle in the oil of choice until well emulsified.

Immediately divide the mojo, placing half in the fridge (add salt to taste) and pouring half over the shrimp, stirring to make sure all your shrimp are coated.

Immediately fire the grill, and when ready, grill the shrimp until well marked with a bit of char and pink through, 1-2 minutes per side.

Serve as desired (I served over a Chile Peanut Cauliflower Rice we’re refining) with the reserved sauce on the side or drizzled over.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: I’m Just Here for the Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Summer has arrived with a vengeance these past few days here in North Texas, prompting my lovely wife to ask me to put her favorite vegetable-packed gado gado bowl with a spicy peanut sauce on the short list this week.

We’ve had a favorite Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe we’ve used for years, and I even wrote about it years ago (2012) on ChiWulff.com, a fly fishing blog –

She was caught red-handed and she knew it.

I ran into the kitchen after the party had moved to the backyard and there she was in all her glory, emitting a moan of almost sensual ecstasy, leaning over the counter in what some might have considered to be very nearly a provocative pose.

My noisy entry startled our damned attractive friend (let’s just call her LB, and wife of residency training mate MB) enough to make her bump her 4-month pregnant belly on the counter and smear a streak of this Thai Peanut Sauce across her cheek.

We stared at one another wide-eyed for a moment and she simply offered up “I’m just here for the peanut sauce” as a matter of explanation. She then wordlessly reached into the drawer, handed me a spoon and moved the bowl midway between us.

We enjoyed a laugh (loudly enough to arouse her husband’s curiosity in fact) and stood at the counter and scraped just about every drop of this great peanut sauce from the bowl.

Haven’t seen LB in years, though we enjoyed yet another batch of this Thai-inspired (the coconut milk) peanut sauce with chicken satay hot off the grill this past week. There are a million peanut sauce recipes out there, for sure, but we keep coming back to this for its deep array of flavors and (for the most part) quick and easy prep…

It really is good enough to eat right out of the bowl, and it was amazing drizzled over a spiralized gado gado vegetable bowl (just zucchini, carrots, and daikon) with a piece of blackened mahi throw on top last night (image below).

2/3 cup + full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 and 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Thai or serrano peppers, seeded, minced OR
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
4 scallions, green and white parts, minced
2 tbsp. tamari or coconut aminos
2 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. + fresh lime juice

Optional
1-2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, sweetener of choice
1/4 cup (+) fresh chopped cilantro

Combine all the ingredients (noting the sweetener and cilantro are optional) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine, bring just to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer very slowly for 20-30 minutes, adding more coconut milk if needed.

Remove from the heat, let cool for ten minutes, and adjust the tamari/coconut aminos, fish sauce, and lime juice to taste.

Serve with your favorite pile of vegetables in a gado gado bowl as we did yesterday, or with your favorite chicken or beef satay. Or just a big spoon.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Turmeric Cabbage Coconut Stir Fry

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Perhaps it has something to do with the fact my lovely wife and I grew up in the South, eating slaws and chow chows prepared lovingly by matronly grandmothers and diner / greasy spoon cooks during our childhoods – but I’ve confessed before that we enjoy cabbage prepared in a variety of ways.

We typically enjoy a simple cabbage slaw with this Chile Lime Vinaigrette at least once a week and add a bit of cabbage to many of our favorite salads. Though we don’t savor fish tacos as often as we once did, who doesn’t love a spicy fish taco inspired slaw (we have several in the rotation), and I’ve stockpiled a number of cooked and sautéed cabbage recipes over the years as well.

This Turmeric Cabbage Coconut Stir Fry has become one of our favorites this spring and early summer as it’s a little different than many cooked cabbage recipes we’ve seen, and when cooked for just a few minutes the cabbage maintains a delightful crunchiness.

Though optional (recipes are made to be adjusted to your own palate and interests anyway) the poblano chiles and fresh peas add a splash of color and interest as well, as do the coconut flakes and the sautéed mustard seeds.

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil
2 tsp yellow or black (or both) mustard seeds
1 small-medium cabbage, trimmed and thinly sliced/chopped
1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, cut into thin strips or small dice
1-2 dried de arbol chiles, roughly crushed OR 1-2 tsp red chile flakes
1 tsp good salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Optional: 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot; add the mustard seeds, cover, and shake gently until they begin to pop.

When the popping slows, add the poblano and / or the dried red chiles, sauté for a minute, then add the cabbage, salt, and turmeric. Stir to mix well, then cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the cabbage begins to wilt but still has some tooth (crunch). Add the coconut and peas if using, mix well, and cook another minute or so until heated through.

Remove from the heat, then stir in the cilantro and lemon juice; taste and adjust seasonings as needed (usually salt and lemon juice).

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Chile and Sautéed Garlic Shrimp

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We’ve made a pact around our camp to increase our intake of quality seafood this summer, and strolling through my favorite Central Market a few days back I saw to my delight fresh caught Gulf shrimp on sale.

The shrimp were in great shape (always check), and I couldn’t resist picking up a pound and a half, knowing that once shelled we’d be looking a roughy a pound or so.

Our friend Chef Libby sent me this recipe for Chile and Sautéed Garlic Shrimp years ago, and I’d forgotten how wonderful it is, especially when you take care to deeply brown the garlic slices (my wife calls them chips).

This one is incredibly easy, worthy of any company you might care to entertain, and plays well with a host of sides, appetizers, and salads. Don’t forget to share the browned garlic fairly, and drizzle some of that wonderful oil over the shrimp at service.

Oh, and by the way, crushed red pepper flakes of course work if you don’t have the preferred dried red peppers laying around…

2-3 tbsp avocado or EV olive oil
10-12 cloves, thinly sliced
3-4 dried red chiles, crumbled coarsely
2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tbsp brandy

2-4 tbsp chopped parsley or cilantro, optional

Heat the oil of choice in a medium-large saucepan over high heat; add the garlic slices and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the chiles, then the shrimp, and cook another 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, turning once.

Carefully add the brandy, cook for another minute or so to cook off the alcohol; you’ll notice the pan sauce will thicken a bit.

Add a sprinkle of good salt as desired, top with the parsley or cilantro, and go to it; make sure everyone gets their fair share of that delicious garlic too…

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday: Spicy Baked Popcorn Cauliflower

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Talking to our friend chef Libby in Austin a couple of days ago she shared this recipe, saying they’d been working hard lately on an Indian-themed catering project coming up this week.

Her client is a home health advocacy group there in town, and they wanted a very healthy-food focused menu served, though with a decidedly Indian focus. This Spicy Baked Popcorn Cauliflower was one that made the final cut, modeled after something Libby saw in the Tasting Table feed a few months back.

She (and we) is(are) enamored with spicy foods, and she worked the source recipe around the edges a bit, tweaking the spices, adding coriander (a mainstay in traditional Indian cooking), and said you really need to spread the cauliflower florets out on the baking sheets to allow them to fully crisp in the hot oven.

I put this together last weekend to serve alongside a grilled ribeye and it was outrageously good, and smelled delightful roasting in the oven.

1 large head cauliflower cut into florets
3-4 tbsp coconut oil or ghee, melted
1 tbsp garam masala
1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 and 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 and 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp good salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

2-4 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro or parsley

Preheat your trusty oven to 350 and parchment line two baking sheets.

Prep the cauliflower and place in a large bowl, drizzle with the melted fat, then sprinkle the spices over. Stir to mix well (use your hands!).

Divide evenly between the two parchment-lined baking sheets, make sure the pieces aren’t touching or they won’t crisp as well. Bake for 33-38 minutes until beginning to caramelize on some edges and they’re crispy; they should be a wonderful golden brown.

Enjoy.