Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Scallops with a Mixed Berry Reduction

June 22, 2010

I took Clifford to the vet this evening for his well checkup, a few shots and a heartworm test. He is a very healthy dog and is good to go on shots for the next 3 years. :) I got home with Clifford and we noticed Vern was back (in case you missed our bird voyeur). We decided to name him Vern the Voyeur and he has been visiting at least daily. Of course Clifford freaks out and wants to get him through the window. I need to video that, it is hilarious!

 

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Week 3 of eating my fish and so far we are doing pretty good! I had taken scallops out to defrost before the vet so we were able to put dinner together pretty quickly. The berry sauce is sweet, smoky and just a bit spicy and goes very nicely with the whole wheat couscous and seared scallops.

 

Ingredients

 

4 cups mixed berries

2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp agave nectar

2 chipotle chili’s in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 cup whole wheat couscous

Olive Oil

20 Scallops, Patted Dry

Salt and Pepper

 

Directions

 

Combine berries, lemon juice and zest, agave and chili’s.

 

In a small saucepan with a lid, boil water a bit of olive oil. Add couscous, cover and remove from hit. Let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

 

Add scallops to a non stick pan heated with olive oil and top with salt/pepper. Add enough scallops to fill pan but not crowd it. Cook for 2 minutes on each side and remove.

 

Pour berry mixture into pan and reduce down for about 4 minutes. Top couscous with sauce and scallops. Drizzle a bit more sauce over top of scallops.

 

 

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There is definitely some heat in this recipe and such a nice smokiness that pairs with the berries. They key to scallops is to get a great sear and not overcook them.

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Sunny at 5

June 22, 2010

You really know it is summer when you leave for the gym at 5:40am and it is bright and sunny. Hello morning! Typical gym workout today, 30 minutes cardio and weights. While I was lifting I noticed some soreness in my legs from Sunday’s workout, must stretch better.

Weights today:

Squat (3×12)

Seated Row (3×12)

Hamstring Leg Curl (3×12)

Barbell Push Press (3×12)

Dynamic Lunges (3×12)

Upper Body Russian Twist (3×12)

Crunches on Ball (3×20)

Feeling nice and strong after that workout!

Interesting article on CNN about how Cartoon characters attract kids to junk food.

“Fifty percent of children say that food from a package decorated with a cartoon celebrity such as Shrek tastes better than the same exact food from a plain package, according to a new study.”

What is it about Shrek, Dora or Elmo that make something more appetizing? Sugary cereal was one of those things that I always wanted as a kid, I would see it on a cartoon and think I want Cookie Crisp or Trix. My mom didn’t buy those all that often but when she did they went fast! We usually ate Alphabits or Kix, Cream of Wheat, Malt O Meal or fruit growing up.

Do you think there is anything that adults like more because of packaging or characters? I thought of Gatorade because of athlete endorsement, Activia yogurt and Wheaties. Can you think of anything?

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