Jalapeno seared scallops. Marinated scallops overnight in cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, green onions, olive oil, salt and pepper. Seared them in a pan over medium to medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on each side depending on the size of the scallop. I transferred them to a plate to finish cooking with carry-over heat, covered with foil.
Asian cucumber salad. My mom has been making this cucumber salad for me my entire life. I realized she does this because it's super easy. 1 regular cucumber was peeled and cut in half length wise. Some of the seeds were scooped out to remove both the seeds and the extra water - but don't take them all out. I sliced them into half moons very thinly. Remember that the thinner the cut, the faster they soak up the dressing (recall diffusion properties). In a bowl, I mixed in sugar, rice wine vinegar, 2 diced up cloves of garlic, salt and white pepper. I added a little bit of lemon juice but this is totally optional - I had the lemon for the scallops. Using a spoon, I mashed up the garlic a little more while dissolving the sugar in the vinegar. I then added the sliced cucumbers into the dressing, tossed, tasted and placed in the fridge until the scallops were ready.
Quinoa. Quinoa is a grain indigenous to South America. The first time I had it was in Peru where they apparently use it in both savory and sweet dishes. I had this amazing morning porridge made from quinoa and milk. Anyway, quinoa is a whole grain that has complete protein and less starch than rice. You can find it at Whole Foods. I think it's a great substitute for rice and infinitely better than couscous (remember couscous is actually a pasta).
I think they turned out pretty well. Thoughts?
That looks amazing.. every time I try to make scallops, they burn and stick to the bottom of the pan.
ReplyDeleteAnd by every time, I mean once.