So, as many of you know I am on this high protein diet and I know that I am not alone in the "you want what you can't have" category. No, I am not talking about dating right here. And so....what do I want more than anything in the world? F'ing pizza of course!! Desperate times lead to desperate measures and so when I found this Pizza Frittata recipe in an old issue of Food Network magazine I started fiendin even more....kind of like a crack whore jonesin' for her next fix.

Side note: Yeah I am pretty sure I am the only food blog on the planet that uses crack whore analogies to describe her food.....but I get creative license.

Anyway, tonight I made said Pizza Frittata and don't get me wrong it was good, but it is not a replace-a-pizza by any stretch of the imagination. And although I made it for dinner, most frittata recipes are usually a breakfast gig, and I couldn't imagine doing a pizza frittata for breakfast...so keep this as a lunch/dinner recipe.

Another side note: I have to give a shout out to this pepperoni I discovered. It is seriously the best pepperoni on the planet and if you are local I found it at Murphy's. If you are not local, it is worth tracking it down. It has great flavor, the perfect amount of grease, tastes fresh, and doesn't have that weird texture that pepperoni sometimes has. It almost reminded me of a cross between Spanish chorizo and pepperoni and its too die for!

However, although this is not a pizza replacement this is a great recipe and really good healthy comfort food. I do recommend using high quality sauce because I personally feel that can make or break any recipe and I also did my own thing with the salad because I had fresh cucumbers and tomatoes and I wanted those instead of bell peppers. Take creative license there!

Here is the recipe:

6 large eggs plus 4 egg whites

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup low-sodium marinara sauce

3/4 cup low-moisture part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces)

1 ounce sliced pepperoni

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 10-ounce package mixed Italian salad greens (such as romaine and radicchio; about 8 cups)

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Torn fresh basil, for topping

4 slices crusty Italian bread

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6. Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs and egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until curds begin to form, 2 to 3 minutes. 
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8. Transfer the skillet to the broiler; broil until set but not browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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10. Spread the marinara sauce over the eggs, leaving a 1/2-inch border. 
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13. Top with the mozzarella, pepperoni and parmesan. Return to the broiler until the cheese is bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
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16. Whisk the vinegar with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Add the salad greens and bell pepper; toss. Sprinkle the frittata with basil and cut into wedges. Serve with the salad and bread.
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I have been thinking a lot lately about what I put in my mouth....get your mind out of the gutter. What I mean is that there is often a fascinating history, a reason we eat what we eat, a tradition, or a story behind things that we just take for granted and consume. My previous blog about curry being a perfect example, I had no idea the history of curry powder until I started to research it. Or think about oysters, of which I am a huge fan, but who saw an oyster and thought to put that in their mouth?

Or, let's talk M&M's! I have been eating M&M's since I was a kid and honestly never thought twice about them until I stumbled on an article about their history. This is what I learned:

• M&M's have been around since 1941 and they were created for the soldiers fighting in WWII. The hope being that the candy coating on the outside of the chocolate would keep them from melting.

• The brown paper wrapper packaging, which is their trademark, came about in 1948. Before that they were sold in cardboard tubes.
• 1950 was the year the "M" started to be stamped on the candy. Originally, it had black writing, but in 1954 the "M" became white as we know it today.
• 1954 was a good year for M&M's because that was also the year that peanut M&M's became a reality.
• April 12, 1981 was a monumental date for M&M's because they became the first candy to travel into space. They actually have been on board all of NASA's 135 missions. 
• The blue M&M came about in 1995 after the company decided to get rid of the tan M&M. They actually let Americans vote on the color and blue won, beating out pink and purple. 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, see note
• 1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft
• 1 large egg1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided1 1/2 cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

So, as many of you know I am on this high protein diet and so I am looking through recipes for all things protein. And as I came across recipe after recipe involving meat and fruit, I started to wonder why this was such a common pairing. I was pretty convinced that it was some magical match-up that caused the sun, moon, and stars to align....and so you know where that led me? GOOGLE!!

I am sure you have all seen those recipes....pork and apples, cherries and steak, blackberry reduction sauce over elk....you get the picture! And thanks to Google, the first article I read was named "Made for Each Other: Meat and Fruit Pairings." I was pretty sure I quickly hit the jackpot.....

Wait for it....any guesses as to why meat and fruit are often paired together? Is it because the British brought this combo over to the Motherland like they did curry powder? Is it because the sugar composition breakdown enhances digestion? Is it because its a cultural tradition from Germany? Yeah.....well no....what my article told me was....that they taste good together!! Yup, you all heard it here first, meat and fruit are paired together....because they just f'ing taste good together. 

All jokes aside, this is a cool article that does identify the type of fruit that is best paired with the type of meat, so you can use this for reference if you are so inclined: https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/made-for-each-other-meat-and-fruit-pairings

However, the article doesn't mention the pairing of pork and watermelon, which is exactly where I am going next....

I made a Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with a Watermelon and Cucumber Salad. Yes, this is totally me holding onto every last ounce of Summer before I go kicking and screaming into Fall. That being said, I loved the spice rub on this pork and the technique of browning the pork in a pan before roasting it, gave it a great exterior texture while keeping it moist inside. I also loved the Watermelon and Cucumber Salad, but I wanted a little extra heat so I added red pepper flakes and I thought that complimented the chili in the pork nicely. 

I don't know why, but I often shy away from cooking pork and this recipe was a great reminder that I like pork, its healthy, and its tasty. So, you may see more pork recipes coming your direction in the near future.

Here is the recipe courtesy of Eating Well:

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce 
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 2 cups diced seeded watermelon
• 2 cups diced cucumber
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, toasted (see Tips) and coarsely chopped

• To prepare pork: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

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• Mix sugar, coriander, cumin, salt, chile sauce and 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Rub the paste over the pork.
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• Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet.
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• Roast the pork until just cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should register 145 degrees F), 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 5 minutes.
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• Meanwhile, prepare salad: Stir vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar almost dissolves. Add watermelon, cucumber and cilantro; toss gently to combine. Just before serving, sprinkle with peanuts.

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• Carve the pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with the watermelon salad.

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For my friends who are also doing this high protein thing, here is the link to the actual Eating Well recipe for the macros: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/248715/spice-rubbed-pork-tenderloin-with-sweet-tangy-watermelon-salad/

I have been slightly obsessed with Indian food lately and so I have been experimenting. I've been making traditional Indian food. And American food, but with an Indian flavor profile. Or so I thought….

As I started to delve into this new genre of food exploration I started looking into curry powder. To begin with, curry powder is so much more than the strong pungent orange powder that often discolors hands, counters and foods…but that is what we know and we think of when we hear “curry.” Curry powder has three primary color and flavor profiles. The yellow curry powder is sweeter and has a high turmeric content. It is most commonly a blend of coriander, turmeric, cumin, and chile powder. However, there is also red and green. Red curry tends to have a more bold and spicy flavor. I used this to flavor burgers the other day and it was delish. And the green has a brighter and sharper flavor. I have been having a hard time finding green. And all three curries are used to make different dishes.

Now, let’s take this curry powder discussion one step further. Curry powder is a mixture of spices and there is not a set combination. It is very similar to an Italian families sauce recipe in that the spice mixture is often unique to the family. But curry powder by name is just a commercial naming convention provided to a blend of spices. Yeah you won't hear an Indian family ask for curry powder.

But wait there is more….so, I know that I am not alone in the fact that I have been thinking a lot about white privilege in the last few months in light of what is occurring in our world. So, when I started to look into the history of curry powder I found another example of our white culture taking over and claiming another culture,food,tradition as their own…. Curry powder is actually not Indian, it came about during the British colonization of India and was created as a way to send a spice blend back to England. It was trendy!

Curry powder became very popular in the 18^th century and that was the first reference seen in a British cookbook to “curry powder.” It was also listed in 6 recipes in the Virginia Housewife that was published in the US in the 1800s, also making sense since we also were a British colony. Curry powder is not found in original Indian cookbooks.

Finally, I also learned that the term “curry” was often used by the British to generally describe all Indian food instead of learning or knowing the names of individual dishes. And if we want to take it one step further it was also known to be used in a derogatory context with racial connotations. If anyone is truly interested in reading more there is actually an entire book on Curry and its history and journey through the world. I found it fascinating.

So, curry powder was created by the British as a means of making money and sending exotic spices back to the mother land. It was a way of bastardizing flavor profiles from an area they conquered and making it their own, not paying respect to the tradition, the family legacy or the cuisine for which it was designed. Don’t get me wrong I love curry powder, but I also loved talking to my co-worker who told me she made her own, that it was the recipe from her family, and when I asked her about the British she responded with a “yes” as if it was common knowledge and I was the last to know. I will be curious to see if you all knew this and if I truly am the last to know.

This weekend I took a stab at making Curried Shrimp Biryani and let me be transparent and say this is a Food Network recipe and not traditional at all. But I love the flavor profiles, the slight spice, and the beautiful color the curry makes the rice. It is a one bowl dish that makes a great well rounded meal....actually I even ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning.

Here is the recipe:

3 large shallots, halved and thinly sliced

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Kosher salt

1 pound large shrimp

2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 8.8-ounce packages microwavable basmati rice (or 7 cups cooked rice)

1 cup fresh cilantro and/or mint, roughly chopped

Yogurt and chopped toasted cashews, for serving

Put a rimmed baking sheet in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 475 degrees F. Add the shallots, drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter and season with salt; spread in a single layer. Roast until softened and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, butterfly the shrimp: Peel the shrimp; make a deep cut down the center of the shrimp's back from head to tail without cutting all the way through.  I honestly didn't bother butterflying the shrimp and it turned out great. I did peel and devein them though.Remove the vein with the tip of the knife. Open the shrimp along the cut so it lies flat. Transfer to a large bowl.

Combine the remaining 5 tablespoons melted butter, the ginger, garlic, curry powder and garam masala in a separate large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the spice butter to the shrimp; add the paprika, season with salt and toss.

 Add the rice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup herbs to the remaining spice butter; toss.

Add the shrimp to the baking sheet with the shallots and spread in a single layer. Top with the rice mixture in an even layer and drizzle with 1/4 cup water. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the rice is hot and the shrimp are cooked through, 16 to 18 minutes.

Stir the shrimp and rice together with a fork. Season with salt and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup herbs. Top each serving with yogurt and cashews.