Seared Scallops w| Warm Tuscan Beans

A healthy serving of white beans and spinach are an excellent pairing with seared sea scallops. The dish is flavored with crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. Serve this alongside slices of toasted garlic bread for sopping up the oniony white wine broth and you've got a warm and comforting, yet light and healthy dish that I would deem perfect for a cold, resolution ridden January. The recipe was adapted from Cooking Light March 2009. (Recipe from 1989 Cookbook coming soon!) I halved the amount of scallops in the original recipe since I am cooking for two and not four. However, you could cook as many scallops as your heart desires. A little over 1/2 a pound was equal to 7 scallops. (Of course, this will vary with scallop size.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 pounds sea scallops

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

The recipe calls for one pan, cooking the scallops first and the broth, beans and spinach second. I prefer to cook the scallops simultaneously in a separate pan; understanding this creates an extra dish to clean, but this way the scallops maintain their heat and don't wait around much longer while the rest of the meal comes together.I guess you need three pans if you want to cook the garlic bread the way Cooking Light suggests. Simply heat a grill pan over medium heat and brush 1 tablespoon olive oil evenly over slices of French bread. Add the bread to the pan and cook for two minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Rub one side of each bread slice with the cut sides of a halved garlic clove and voila!
And now for the main attraction! For the broth, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pan and sauté about three minutes. Add the red pepper and garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the wine and cook for one minute or until most of the liquid evaporates.

Stir in the vegetable stock, beans and cook for two minutes. Then add the spinach and cook for one minute or until spinach wilts. Remove the pan from heat and stir in chopped basil.

For the scallops, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the scallops evenly with salt, then add the scallops to the pan; cook two to three minutes on each side or until done. Dinner for two! A quick and easy wintertime meal.Thanks to my friends Corinne and Laura for originally passing on this recipe. I love scallops.

Other Indulge Inspire Imbibe Scallop recipes:

Scallops with Jasmine Rice Risotto

Scallops Fra Diavolo