As I mentioned in my bio, I have a true passion for cooking. Unfortunately, I do not cook often anymore, because lets be real people, I HATE cleaning the dishes. If I had someone around who would clean all of the pots, pans and dishes I use, I would happily cook up a storm on the regular. It may sound odd, but I do not cook to feed an appetite, I cook because I enjoy the freedom and creativity I have when creating a “masterpiece”. It is about satiating the palette. I am ultimately fascinated with the process, the end result presentation and the happy reactions I receive from the individuals I cook for.
Without further ado, here is my first recipe I am going to post of a dish I made last night. I decided to give scallops a shot, one of the hardest seafood items to master, as the cook has to be just right and the searing to a perfect T. I wing most of my recipes, but I will try to be as exact with the measurements as I can.
Enjoy,
Maiya Papaya
Seared Scallops with Veggie Quinoa Medley, Finished with a Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
- scallops (I bought the frozen ones at Trader Joe’s – ends up being about 16pcs)
- Margarine (2 tsp’s salted)
- olive oil (4 tbsp’s)
- pink sea salt (to taste)
- black coarse pepper (to taste)
- fresh garlic (2 tbsp minced)
- Lemon juice (1 lemon)
- Lemon zest (2 tsp lemon zest)
- mushrooms (10 lrg white)
- fresh spinach (1/3 of bag)
- red onion (1/2 of onion)
- vegetable broth (1 1/2 cup)
- white wine (1 cup)
- quinoa (1 Cup)
- water (2 Cups)
Directions
- Scallops – Thaw scallops in extremely cold water till tender. Use paper towels to dry scallops till excess moisture is gone.
- Season scallops with salt and pepper (to taste).
- Put 2 tbsp’s of oil in pan and put on high heat. Once the oil begins to smoke, throw the scallops in the pan. Make sure scallops are spaced out so they do not touch each other.
- Throw 2 tsp’s butter into pan and flip scallops over after 2min (or until golden crust appears)
- use a spoon to baste the scallops in butter, another 2 minutes on the other side. Take scallops off of pan immediately, as they will still cook once off of pan.
- Quinoa – cook 2 cups (water) to 1 cup quinoa (I buy the tri colored quinoa from Trader Joe’s that you can throw in the microwave or cook in a pot)
- throw 1 tbsp garlic into new pan and 2 tbsp’s olive oil on medium heat. Throw in thinly chopped onions and cut the mushrooms into 3’s for each piece.
- Once onions and mushrooms start browning, add in fresh spinach.
- Once spinach has cooked down, add in cooked quinoa. Throw in half cup white wine and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Let simmer until the liquid has evaporated.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in 1 tsp of grated lemon zest.
- Lemon Sauce – Add 1 tbsp garlic to used scallop pan. Have heat to about medium high and throw in 1/2 cup white wine. Let wine simmer for about 10 minutes till it is reduced on medium heat. Turn heat to high and add 1 cup vegetable broth and lemon juice. Cook sauce for about 15-20 minutes as it should become a thick consistency (make sure to stir!).
- Put quinoa medley in middle of plate. Add seared scallops on top of quinoa and add lemon sauce. Enjoy!
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