Pan Seared Scallops

Pan Seared Scallops
(File Photo)

Yesterday was hot outside- a hot day in September!  Inside the A/C was keeping our home so comfy.  This heat did bring a change in dinner plans.  My plan was to use my oven & the Eggplant that were just waiting in my fridge.  Feeling the high humidity whenever I stepped outside did I ever change my plans.  While my hubby & I were volunteering delivering Meals on Wheels to senior citizens in town I kept thinking about those Eggplants in our fridge.  No heating the oven yesterday!  Grilling was my second choice.  The quick trip to our grocery store ended that thought with the display of the fillets of fish.  But, the large fresh Sea Scallops looked so good.  That was the answer to dinner.  Pan Seared Scallops with a microwaved "Baked" Potato & a fresh veggie salad.  Oh yum!  It was so good!  It also was quick to prepare!

Pan Seared Scallops always taste so good!  They are ready very quickly, too.  So quick that the veggies need to be in works before starting the pan searing.                  

Pan Seared Scallops
     2 Servings
 
Ingredients:

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil (for sauteing & baking)
3/4 lb. Sea Scallops (can be about 10- 12 large ones) I request the larger Scallops.
3/4 Cup Flour
Sprinkle of Paprika (to taste)

Method:

1. Combine Flour & Paprika in a Gallon sized Ziploc Bag or small bowl.
2. Rinse Scallops in cold water by using another bowl & then drain.
3. Place Scallops on plate lined with a paper towel.
4. Then place Scallops in Flour mixture & coat.
5. Add Olive Oil to a skillet or a saute pan. Turn heat to medium/high heat. (I use a non-stick pan.) Heat until hot but not quite smoking. Take pan off heat and add the Scallops to the pan. Place back on heat and cook Scallops for 3 minutes on the first side.
6. Turn the Scallops over and continue to cook for 3 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and just cooked through.
7. Remove one Scallop from pan, cut with a knife and see if done. If not, then saute all for another 30 seconds.

This is a quick & easy dinner!  It's also great to make for special occasions.  Today is so much cooler.  I do have Eggplant in my fridge! :)

Enjoy!
Yummy!

     

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili

During the frigid winter, mentioning the food Chili always brings visions of hot steaming bowls of a thick red comfort food served in a bowl.  Two days ago in my pantry I located red kidney beans.  I had plum tomatoes. Chicken was in the fridge.  It was the great opportunity to take out my Chicken Chili recipe!

This is a great meal to prepare in a Slow Cooker or in a Crock Pot.  I remember finding a variation of it originally in "some" magazine a few years ago when I was writing (typing) a cookbook with easy recipes for my son.  It was the summer after he graduated from college.  That summer a crash course in food & food safety took place in our kitchen.  After coming home from his summer job in the evening, he & I whipped up dinners.  As a mom I needed to know that he had some kitchen experience - before he started the next phase of his education that September.  After all, he could not eat out all the time.  It worked well!  Now, I smile when he & his family are visiting "back home" and he asks if he can help in the kitchen.  :) The answer is always "Yes"!

My younger son learned his basic cooking skills using the same method.  I had compiled 2 cookbooks 3 years earlier.  Whenever he is "back home" he is our "Garlic Mashed Potatoes" guy.  :)  Nice!

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili 

Ingredients:
1 Green Pepper, cut into strips
1- 1 and 1/2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Cup sliced Okra - Optional (I use frozen & defrosted.)
1 Tablespoon Dehydrated Onion
1 Tablespoon Dehydrated Parsley
2 cans 14 oz. Red Kidney Beans, drained, rinsed & drained again
1 can Plum Tomatoes - 15- 22 oz. - drained & cut into chunks
2- 3 teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 can 14.5 oz. Chicken Broth (Low Sodium, Low Fat)
3 Tablespoons Flour

Sometimes 8 oz. Tomato Sauce is added to the pot before placing the lid on top.

Method:

1. Place Pepper Strips in Slow Cooker Pot.
2. Add Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts on top.
3. Top with sliced Okra.
4. Sprinkle on Onion & Parsley.
5. Add Red Kidney Beans.
6. Top with Tomato Chunks.
7. Sprinkle on Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Cumin & Oregano.
8. In small bowl blend 3 Tablespoons Flour with about 1 Cup Chicken Broth until smooth.
9. Add remaining Broth to bowl & blend together.
10. Pour liquid over ingredients in Slow Cooker.
11. Add Cover.
12. Cook on High for 3 and 1/2 hours.  Reduce to Medium for 1/2 hour.
13. Before serving, stir Chili.  The tender Chicken breaks into smaller pieces.
14. Ladle into soup bowls. 
15. Enjoy with a dollop of low fat sour cream & rye bread.

After enjoying a delicious dinner containing Okra at the Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant, SC a few years ago, I use Okra in some recipes.  It's a great addition to my Slow Cooker Chicken Chili, so a package of sliced Okra is always on hand in my freezer.

A steaming bowl of Chicken Chili at dinner tastes great during our long lasting "cold snap"!  The remaining portions are in our fridge.  The seasonings in the Chili are absorbed by the other ingredients.  Yes, sometimes Ziploc Freezer Containers of this yummy "comfort food" is placed in the freezer.   
  
We will Enjoy again!
Yummy!