My friend Jen’s birthday was this past week. She loves food and loves to try new and different dishes but she has a very sensitive stomach – unfortunately, those two traits do not go well together so she is often eating things she knows will come back to haunt her, so to speak. As a result or her delicate tummy and because she also happens to be a super duper fitness and nutrition coach (owner of BambooCoreFitness.com), she strives to eat cleanly and usually follows a Paleo diet of organic and wild foods without dairy or breads. I wanted to create a birthday party menu that would not leave the birthday girl in the bathroom the entire night. Luckily there are so many Paleo friendly recipes out there these days, I had fun researching paleo menu options for a celebratory meal.
When I want to cook up a special meal, I often end up choosing seafood. It seems somehow more exotic and special – not something I prepare every week. I chose Sea Scallops for this special meal after reading several Pinterest posts and cookbooks that had the most beautiful and yummy pictures of Sea Scallops. I was inspired by several recipes (Pinch Of Yum Sea Scallops and Diana Rodgers Home Grown Paleo), finally landing on my own version of sautéed Sea Scallops with Spinach.
This recipe is super easy and delicious – perfect for a casual evening with friends, a celebration or a romantic evening with your sweetie and it happens to be Paleo compliant too. The scallops are sizzled in reserved bacon fat for a rich smokey flavor. The spinach and scallions with a dusting of lemon zest keep the dish fresh and healthy.
I used an Asparagus and Mushroom soup recipe from Diana Rodgers as a starter for my special meal. Diana has really knocked it out of the park with this soup recipe. I LOVE it! I have made it a couple of times to rave reviews. The mushrooms and lime juice make the flavor interesting – bordering on addictive and the sweet potato and roasted asparagus make it hearty. I followed her suggestion of drizzling white truffle oil before serving – yummy!
A special meal needs a special dessert to have everyone living happily ever after. Home Grown Paleo’s, Cardamom-Ginger Pots de Creme with Coconut Whipped Cream is the perfect ending to this elegant paleo friendly meal. The chocolate pot de creme is infused with cardamom and ginger that give it a sophisticated flavor, this is not a sweet and sticky dessert, but a smooth, flavor rich that is enhanced by a creamy coconut whipped topping. Again, this is an easy recipe to pull together and it can be made a day before and kept in the fridge.
The birthday meal was a success, everyone loved the flavors, I loved the easy prep and accolades after and everyone’s stomach was happy!
- 4 strips of bacon
- 6 - 8 sea scallops
- sea salt and ground pepper
- 4-5 scallions chopped
- 4 cups of spinach washed and ready to saute
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- grated lemon zest
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy
- Reserve the bacon fat
- Trim scallops (remove the foot from the scallop) Pat the scallops dry and dust with salt and pepper
- Heat the skillet again with a small amount of the bacon fat, add the scallops and cook 2-3 minutes per side
- Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside
- Reduce the heat under the skillet, add 1 tablespoon of bacon fat, saute the chopped white part of the scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add the spinach and the chopped green parts of the scallions to the skillet and cook for 2-3 more minutes until wilted
- Crumble the bacon into small pieces
- Divide the spinach and scallion mixture between two plates and squeeze 1 tsp lemon over the top of each
- Place 3-4 scallops on each plate atop the spinach
- Sprinkle with bacon and lemon zest - salt and pepper to taste
- 1½ pounds asparagus
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium white-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1¾ quarts chicken stock
- ¼ pound oyster mushrooms
- juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 fresh sorrel leaves cut into strips (these are tough to find - you can also use a spritz of lemon juice and some lemon zest
- white truffle oil for serving
- Preheat oven to 425
- Wash asparagus well cut off the bottom ⅓ of the stem 9 reserve cut off stems)
- Line two shallow baking sheets with parchment paper
- Toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of ghee and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Spread asparagus on baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until tender
- While asparagus cooks, melt 1 tablespoon of ghee in a dutch oven and saute onions for 10 minutes
- Add the sweet potato, cayenne pepper, reserved pieces of asparagus stalks and stock to pot
- Simmer for 30 minutes until potato is soft
- While the soup is simmering, cut the oyster mushrooms into small medallions and saute in the remaining tablespoon of ghee over medium high heat until mushrooms are lightly browned
- Set mushrooms aside
- Remove the asparagus stalks from the simmering soup and discard
- Cut the roasted asparagus stalks into 2 inch pieces and add to the soup. Simmer for 5 more minutes
- Remove the soup from the heat and use and blend with an immersion blender or use a food processor or blender working in batches
- Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper
- When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with sorrel, mushrooms and a drizzle of white truffle oil (optional)
- 7 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70%) chopped (about 2 standard bars
- 1 14 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 14 ounce can full fat coconut milk, chilled upside down in the fridge overnight
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slivers of candied ginger for garnish (optional)
- Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set aside
- In a saucepan over medium heat, slowly warm the coconut milk, egg yolks, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, stirring constantly. Do not allow it to come to a simmer. When the mixture reaches 175 degrees remove it from the heat - about 10 minutes
- Pour the coconut milk mixture through a fine sieve over the chocolate and set a timer for 5 minutes
- Walk away from the bowl and do not disturb it for the full 5 minutes
- After the timer goes off, very slowly stir the mixture until it is completely smooth
- This will take a few minutes. IF you stir too fast, you'll get grainy results - so stir slowly!
- Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla and pour into ramekins
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- Keeping the chilled can upside down, open it and scoop out the cream that has risen to the top. Place the cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and whip together.
- To serve, place a dollar of whipped coconut on each pot de creme and slice some of the candied ginger over the top.
Mary says
My salivary glands are exploding. ALL of my favorite things in one meal: Scallops, Roasted (pretty much any vegetable), chocolate pot de creme with CARDAMOM?? SHUT UP! FYI my birthday is September 13. 😉
Pip says
I will start working on a September birthday menu right now!!