Stacey Hawkins the Queen of Lean and Green Recipes, Optavia Recipes and Low Carb Recipes presents this quick and easy recipe for Spicy Scallops (or Chicken) with Tomatoes & Cauliflower Rice to help you stay on your low carb diet or Optavia diet. Great for people trying to lose weight by eating right, those following diabetic recipes, people wanting low carb recipes and especially those who are on the Optavia 5 & 1 recipes diet. More recipes at staceyhawkins.com
Spicy Scallops (or Chicken) with Tomatoes & Cauliflower Rice
Category
Main Dish
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Servings
4
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Sweet, tender scallops and end-of-summer tomatoes make this a thick, rich Lean, and Green meal that is satisfying and delicious.
I stumbled across this paring while looking at a pile of tomatoes on my counter that I wasn't sure what to do with fresh scallops in the fridge. Initially, I was just going to broil the scallops, but you know me. Never settle for basic and boring. So... my mind got creative, and this is what I came up with!
I have to be honest, and my family was so thankful because we are all kinda tired of eating the red sauce with zucchini noodles. While the garden was plentiful this year, sometimes, well, enough is enough already.
This thick, yummy sauce needs a little something under it to help sop it all up, so I used cauliflower rice. If you aren't sick of zucchini noodles, lol, you could certainly use those, or Palmini noodles or shiitake noodles, or... well.. the list goes on and on.
Speaking of choices, you can certainly make this dish with either scallops or chicken as well. If you use chicken, be sure to increase the cooking time as directed below, as the chicken will definitely take longer to cook. Mix and match proteins, sides, and spices- the world is your oyster with this one for sure. Whatever you choose, have fun and enjoy this hearty, delicious dish!
Great as an Optavia Recipe, a Weight Watchers Recipe, and also a keto chicken recipe.
Happy cooking & enjoy!
Stacey
Ingredients
- 2 pounds dry sea scallops or boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" chunks*
-
1 teaspoon Stacey Hawkins Dash of Desperation (or salt and pepper)
- 3 C diced tomatoes (no sugar added and if using canned, drain them first)
-
4 teaspoon Stacey Hawkins Roasted Garlic oil
-
or
-
Luscious Lemon Oil (or your fav. oil with fresh garlic or lemon juice)
- 2 T fresh lime juice
- 3 C cauliflower rice, prepared as directed & served hot
-
2 teaspoons Stacey Hawkins Kickin' Cajun Seasoning (or your favorite blackening seasoning) and... If you don't like spicy, just use a little extra Dash of Desperation instead.
- fresh cilantro and/or sliced scallion greens for garnish
Directions
- Using a paper towel, pat the scallops dry and season both flat sides with Dash of Desperation.
- Add oil to the bottom of a 4 quart sauce pan and heat over medium high heat.
- Place the scallops in the pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side (until browned) Do not flip them over until they are browned- if they're stuck, they're not ready yet. If you're using chicken, let the chicken cook for 5-7 minutes until browned.
- Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside.
- Add tomatoes and seasonings to the pan and bring to a boil. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the brown bits. These will make the sauce even more delicious!
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes. Add the scallops and cook an additional 5 minutes until thoroughly cooked. If you are using chicken, add it to the pan as soon as the sauce reaches a boil and let it cook for 15 minutes until completely cooked.
- Serve over hot cauliflower rice and enjoy!
Chef's Notes & More
Serving Size is 7 ounces of scallops (or 6 ounces of chicken), 3/4 C tomatoes and 3/4 C cauliflower rice. Nutritional information below is calculated using scallops.
0 - Lean
0 - Leaner
1 - Leanest
3 - Green
2 - Condiments
1 - Healthy Fat
