Category Archives: Foodery

My interweb friends Caroline and Jen have both been being all buzzy about this Whole30 thing, so I looked into it and got intrigued by this promise: “improved body composition, energy levels, sleep quality, attention span, mental attitude and athletic performance.”

Curiouser and curiouser I got, so I told The David and we decided to give it a shot.

What “it” is, is a diet comprised solely of lean meats, vegetables, healthy fats and some fruit.  Which means no grains, no beans, no sugar, no soy, no alcohol.  For 30 days.

Today’s my 11th day and aside from some added sugar in some jerky, I think I’ve kept to it pretty accurately.

So far, I’d say that I’m feeling about the same as usual, although I do notice that I’m not getting slumpy in the afternoons.  I still have regular tired laziness as per usual.  And no magic sleeping.  So the jury’s still out – maybe my magic moment is just around the bend.

Also, around the bend, I’ve just arrived in Salt Lake City for Alt Design Summit. Where my meals are going to be provided for me, which means the plan is probably out the window.  (Please let there be pasta)  Oh, the sacrifices for bloggery…

chorizo, sweet potato and spinach hash, with a soft boiled egg

romaine and spinach salad, with chicken, avocado, broccoli slaw, and macadamia nuts

sweet potato stuffed with brussels sprouts, pecans, and bacon

Saturdays are my long run days.
As I run around and around the lake, interminably, I just keep thinking about the juice I will get from the juice booth at the market afterwards.

Mmm… the frothy, kale-y, $7.50-for-12-ounces goodness.

After a dozen years, I feel like I’ve finally gone full-on California.

Of all the things I thought I’d learn about from Alt Summit, a fancy pastry was definitely not one of them.

But on the last day, I got to go on a foodie tour of Salt Lake City  with 7 other ladies from the summit, led by Lindsey Johnson.

The first place we went to was Les Madeleines, a bakery that’s best known for something called kouing-aman, which was featured on The Food Network.  Romina Rasmussen, the totally adorable pastry chef, came out to speak to us about her obscure and wonderful little bundle of awesome.

Romina Rasmussen, maker of the kouing aman

And more importantly, she gave us each one to sample.

It’s crispy, almost crunchy on the outside.  Pulling the bun apart with your fingers, the inside is flakey and airy, like a croissant, but then the center is gooey and carmelly.  It’s an gorgeous triumvirate of textures, with a flavor that’s both sweet and a bit salty.
I immediately wanted to scarf about three more of them.  (Which was not on offer.)

You can special order these overnight directly from Les Madeleines, but there do seem to be a few other places in the country that make them.

Starter Baker – sells to various cafes and bakeries in the Bay Area

Bouchon Bakery – in Los Angeles

Dominique Ansel – in New York

If you want to ask around in your neck of the woods, you should be saying something like “cooing” or “queen uh-MON.”  You may also see it spelled kouign amann. It’s not a French word, but Breton, so kind of like something viking-leprechauns would say.

Romina says it takes her about 9 hours to make them, so maybe you could just make some yourself.  And then send me some.

You can serve people an unholy amount of finger foods comprised of primarily cheese and/or bacon, provided you also offer a subsidy of veg.

I was just talking about the slave-like dependency I have on recipes in my kitchen.  Tell me what to do!  I need instruction and structure!

Except when it comes to one thing…  soup.  In the realm of soups, I’m the daddy.

This kale and sausage soup takes a bit of a trick I learned from Mark Bittman:  using meat as a seasoning.  So rather than using slices of precooked sausage, I used loose sausage meat.  That way you get little meaty bits thoroughly mixed through the soup, giving a lot of flavor.

To do it:
-saute up the sausage meat (I used 3/4 lb mild italian) with a bit of olive oil over medium high heat.  stir it well to get it nice and crumbly and let brown a bit.
-remove the meat with a slotted spoon and then dump in a finely diced onion and 2 or 3 cloves of crushed garlic.
-after the onions are soft, throw the meat back in and then add a bit of white wine and scrape up any fond from the bottom of your pot.
-add a carton of chicken broth.
-throw in your kale – destemmed and cut or ripped into small bits.  Nobody wants long dangly bits of kale hanging off their spoons and flapping about on their chins.  Good prep work is important if you’re a uptight little weasel like me.
-add other stuff.  I included a can of cannelini beans, about a half cup (cooked) of forbidden rice, one grated zucchini, and an eighth of a head of cabbage thinly sliced. because of the amount of veg, we needed more broth to keep it soupy.
-salt.  pepper.  red pepper flakes.

Conjure up some nice chilliness and get cozy.