Rain's supposed to descend upon California tonight, but oh, the weather last week has been sunny, sunny, and sunnier... aka it was perfect weather to take advantage of our huge balcony and throw a nice little dinner.
E and I loved the quinoa + arugula salad from California Pizza Kitchen earlier this month, so we just tossed some arugula with one of our favorite quinoa recipes (which we had whipped up for our Super Tuesday super party). As if that weren't enough, we were inspired at Whole Foods to grab a few scallops too, which added that lovely touch of summer to our dinner.
Oh, rain -- I know that we need you, but we were also having such a lovely time with Mr. Sun. Please don't keep him away too long!
Lemon Parmesan Quinoa + Arugula Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
(for the quinoa)
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 2 - 3 cups arugula
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 pound scallops (approx. 8)
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
(for the quinoa)
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Let cool.
- Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard and olive oil. Mix to combine with cooled quinoa.
- Toss parmesan cheese with quinoa + dressing.
- Toss arugula with quinoa, cheese + dressing.
(for the scallops)
- Remove the tough muscle on the sides of the scallops.
- Rinse the scallops and pat them dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the butter and olive oil to a saute pan on high heat. Watch as the butter melts (and then count 10 mississippis). The fat should be sizzling, but not quite smoking.
- Add the scallops, making sure that they do not touch each other. Cook each side for 1 - 2 minutes, making sure that there's a golden crust on both sides.
Sources of Inspiration:
Inspiration for Next Time:
YUM! gonna have to try this one.
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