Seared Scallops over White Bean and Vegetable Saute

I went skiing in Tahoe this past weekend and it was so hot!  By lunch time I was only wearing a thermal.  Now believe me when I say that I am usually the type of girl who likes (needs) to wear 6 layers.  The slushy and heavy snow this weekend was not something to write home about, but I'm not complaining.  I still got to be on the mountain :) 

We went to Tahoe to celebrate one of Trevor's best friends birthdays.  Dave turned 30 years old!  We had a blast celebrating, but now it's back to work!  

I unfortunately did not have MLK off.   However, all my girlfriends did and I was pretty jealous after my long workday.  But we all met up, watched a movie, and ate Pho and candy.  So by the end of the day I was pretty happy :)

 Last week before Trevor and I plunged into a few episodes of Lost (we are only 8 episodes into the first season, so don't tell me anything!) I made scallops for dinner. 

I have actually never made scallops before, so I was slightly hesitant when Trevor told me he bought them on sale at the grocery store.  What the heck, I thought, I'll give them a shot!

Scallops really aren't as scary as I thought they would be.  I dried them off, coated them with salt and pepper, and seared them in a pan with butter.  I am pretty sure anything would taste pretty good that way :)

Saute onion, garlic, carrots, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper in olive oil.

Add beans and cook for only a minute or so to heat through.

I mixed together a vinaigrette for a light sauce.  The vinaigrette included dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, white wine, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Pretty simple!

Add cherry tomatoes, spinach, and your vinaigrette to the bean mixture.  Heat through until hot and spinach has just wilted. 

Make sure to dry off your scallops for a nice brown and crispy crust.  Add salt and pepper and sear in a large heavy saute pan with about 2 Tbsp of butter.

Top with parsley and serve!

Seared Scallops over White Bean and Vegetable Saute

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Veggie Saute:

1 Medium Carrot chopped

1/2 Large Yellow Onion chopped

2 Garlic Cloves chopped

1 Can Cannellini Beans rinsed

12 (about) Cherry Tomatoes, halved

2 Large Handfuls of Baby Spinach

Olive Oil

1 tsp Thyme

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Salt

Pepper

Vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup White Wine

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Salt

Pepper

Scallops:

8 Large Scallops

2 Tbsp (or more) Unsalted Butter

Salt 

Pepper

Directions:

Veggie Saute:  Cook carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper over medium heat until onions are translucent.  Add beans and cook for about a minute until heated through.  Add cherry tomatoes and spinach.  Add about half the vinaigrette and see how the mixture looks.  Add more until the mixture looks like a sauce.  I needed about 2/3 of the vinaigrette.   Cook until spinach has just started to wilt and then remove from heat. 

Vinaigrette:

Whisk dijon mustard, white wine, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Add olive oil and whisk until smooth.

Scallops: 

Dry off scallops and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Heat butter over high heat.  Add scallops and sear for about 2 - 3 minutes each side until golden brown.

Place bean and vegetable saute on plates.  Add scallops.  Top with parsley.  Serve.