Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Rice and Sauteed Greens

I'm not usually a scallop fan, but my mother convinced me that these large sea scallops, on sale at Wegmans, were sweet, tender, and delicious and worth an extra trip to purchase immediately. She was right! I followed her instructions to the T (thanks, Mom!) and ended up with an absolutely delicious, incredibly healthy meal that came together extremely quickly but was still impressive enough for a fancy dinner party.

I did very little to the scallops, letting them shine on their own, and paired them with some cauliflower rice and sauteed greens. I purchased the cauliflower already riced to speed up the process but you can easily rice it yourself using a food processor if you can't find it already cut or want to save some extra cash!

Time: 25 min


Seared ScallopsCauliflower Rice
Time: 10 min

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb large sea scallops
3 tbsp pan searing flour

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. It should be a little thicker than a normal saute - you don't want to fry but you do want a nice coating for cooking the scallops.

Pat the scallops on some paper towels to ensure they are dry (they often come in liquid) and then dredge both sides in the pan searing flour. (Don't have any pan searing flour? Just add some black pepper to regular flour!) Carefully place the scallops, on a flat side, in the pan. Make sure they have plenty of room around them to avoid steaming and allow even cooking. You can always cook in two batches if needed.

Cook for five minutes, not stirring, but monitor the heat to ensure the side only gets lightly golden - scallops can overcook evenly! Carefully flip and cook for another two minutes. Remove from heat and serve over the cauliflower rice. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Rice
Time: 5 min

Ingredients:
1 lb cauliflower rice
1 tbsp basting oil

Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add the cauliflower rice and level so it's evenly spread across the pan. Drizzle the basting oil over the top and immediately toss well to coat evenly and keep the cauliflower rice from sticking to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes and enjoy.

Note: Don't have basting oil? Just use regular olive oil and add your favorite spices/herbs!

Sauteed Greens
Time: 10 min

Ingredients:
2 tsp sesame oil
12 oz cut mixed greens, such as Kale, Swiss Chard, etc (this type of mix)
2 tsp low sodium Teriyaki sauce
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Hoisin sauce

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil, swirling to coat. Add the greens and saute for 2-3 minutes, letting them braise. Turn the heat down to medium and add the Teriyaki, soy, and Hoisin sauces. Stir well to coat evenly. Saute for another 5-8 minutes or until wilted and cooked to the desired degree. Enjoy!