5/27/10 - Garlic Chili Scallop Noodles

I love all Asian food, but its always tricky when you order take-out. Sometimes its fast, hot and fresh and delicious.... and sometimes my favorite isn't open and I have to try some 'other' place and its eh... lets just say that was a failed test! When it was getting close to dinner the other night and I still hadn't started anything I began to visualize steamy hot bags of ginger scented goodness arriving (and no dishes to wash) but after the issue with the take out the other night (friends ordered some wings and it took forever and arrived ice cold...yuck!) I decided it might just be easier to make something up with whatever was hanging around. When I need something for dinner fast, seafood is a top contender, fast and easy to defrost and cooks up quickly.

I boiled up some water and finished defrosting some frozen scallops, while the pasta was cooking I cut up my veggies and got the pan hot and ready. I had a few different veggies on hand but feel free to toss more peppers, snow peas, baby corn, mushrooms etc in to make this dish even more delicious.

Garlic Chili Scallop Noodles
2 c whole wheat spaghetti- cooked
1 lb scallops - dried 
2 cloves garlic - smashed
2 shallots - diced
1/2 green pepper - diced
2 carrots - sliced thin on the bias
1 c broccoli florets
1" ginger - grated
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy
2 tsp garlic chili paste
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 red scallions - diced
1) cook the pasta according to directions - drain
2) In a large wok pan - heat up 1 tbsp oil and add shallots & garlic
3) Add carrots, green peppers, broccoli, ginger and 1 tbsp soy - cover to steam
4) In another small pan - heat remaining 1 tbsp oil
5) Add sesame seeds and toast
6) Once browned remove sesame seeds and place aside
7) Add butter and sear scallops
8) Once scallops are cooked, toss in 1 tbsp garlic chili paste
9) Add pasta and scallops to veggies - toss with remaining garlic chili paste, sesame oil, scallions and sesame seeds

2/18/10 - No-Breadcrumb Crab Cakes

While my normal crab cakes are light on the breadcrumbs, I wanted to see if I was able to get a decent cake with out any crumbs at all. I have challenged myself to try and cook wheat-free for a few weeks but I still wanted to eat the crab I had. As always there are a lot of crumb free recipes out there but I ended up doing much of my own thing. I served the crab cakes with a side of broccoli and a dollop of wasabi mayo...I ended up having to spoon some of the mayo off though cause it was a little to spicy for me!



No-Crumb Crab Cakes
1 lb lump crab meat
2 eggs - beaten
1 tbsp lt mayo
1/4 red bell pepper- finely diced
1/4 green bell pepper - finely diced
1/4 red onion - finely diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro - diced
2 tbsp fresh parsley - diced
1 tbsp old bay seasoning
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp veg oil

1) mix all ingredients (except oil) together and form small crab cakes
2) place on a greased cookie sheet and place in refrigerator to chill for 30 min
3) bake in oven at 350 F for 15 min
4) heat oil in pan and lightly fry each cake till browned on each side
5) pat excess oil with paper towel and serve

2/2/10 - Filet Mignon w Steamed Broccoli

A simple dinner that took only a few minutes to prepare....I used a traditional skillet instead of my grill pan because my clean-up crew was complaining about how difficult it was to clean!

1/5/10 - Grilled Strip Steak w Broccoli

I took advantage of the left over bechamel sauce from the mac & cheese I made this weekend to liven up this grilled steak and steamed broccoli dinner.