Seared scallops with pumpkin soup

Yesterday I wasn’t nearly as hungry as I usually am when I have a long run.  I didn’t even want an afternoon snack.  But by 6 pm, I was craving something sweet and cold.

A peach smoothie in a bowl fixed that. My SIAB had:

-1 frozen peach
-1/2 frozen banana
-1 cup frozen spinach
-1 scoop vanilla whey protein
-1 cup almond milk
-bit of Stevia
pumpkin granola

Brad didn’t get home until later so I finally had time to make the meal I intended to make last Sunday night.  Brad and I saw a recipe for seared scallops with pumpkin soup in Women’s Health Magazine last weekend and thought, “What an interesting combination!”.  So of course we had to make it.

Seared Scallops with Pumpkin  Soup (adapted from WH magazine)

-1 can of pumpkin
-1 cup vegetable broth
-12 oz. wild scallops
-2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
-1 Tbsp. honey
-1 Tbsp. butter
-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
-EVOO (~1 Tbsp.)
-salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized sauce pan, combine pumpkin, broth, butter, and honey.  Bring to a simmer and add the rosemary.  Salt to taste (I used ~1/2 tsp.) and continue to stir periodically. Sear scallops in a bit of EVOO (I used my Misto so it was  less than 1 Tbsp.), with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Roast walnuts by sauteeing them in a pan for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon soup in a bowl once everything is done.  Add scallops and walnuts to soup.  I also roasted okra, sprayed with some EVOO and sprinkled with Kosher salt and Garlic Gold, until they were turning dark brown.

I wasn’t hungry because of my smoothie, so I just had a few bites of everything.  Brad really enjoyed this meal and I was glad that I was able to substitute a few ingredients (see website for the original recipe), to make it my own with what I had on hand.

The more I cook, I’ve learned that you don’t always have to have ever ingredient in your kitchen to make a recipe.  You just have to use what you have. 🙂