Fastest Meal in the West

     Ok that title might be a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.  I think it was about 15 minutes from gathering ingredients to sitting down to eat.  Sadly, it was so tasty, it was less than that to an empty plate.
      I continue to channel my friend Laura here, in the endless search for dishes that are suitable for her dietary restrictions.  Frankly, this doesn't feel like a restriction however.
     The beauty of it is that, if a Trader Joe's is in a neighborhood near you, it is embarrassingly easy to throw together.  Heck, I should give them this recipe, as it uses 2 primary ingredients that both are purchased at that dangerous place.
     Truly, I struggle somewhat with TJ's.  Don't get me wrong, I do shop there.  But I am uneasy about buying all of the prepared foods that are sold in that freezer section, as it seems like a sell out when I am such a believer in preparing my own foods.  But there are days in this household when a meal on the table soon soon soon is a nice thing.  And it does prompt my child to actually volunteer to make dinner, a habit I want to foster.   Well, and another thing, you can acquire plenty of things there that are not pre-made, and are just waiting for your inspiration.
      Take this dish, for instance.  Originally from Gourmet, with a modification, it's really quite simple.  You sauté scallops that have been sprinkled with curry powder, set them aside and then sauté spinach.  That's it.  What?  It can't be that simple?  Oh, yes, it can.  And if you have a bag of spinach and a bag of scallops from sitting around waiting for inspiration, it's ludicrously easy to boot.

Seared Curried Scallops with Zucchini (or Spinach)

serves 2

1 lb sea scallops (defrosted if from TJ's)

1 tsp curry powder

1 1/2-2 T vegetable or olive oil

1t finely grated or peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 " slices

        OR:  1/2 bag of baby spinach

Salt and pepper

1.  Pat scallops very dry,  sprinkle with curry powder and salt and pepper.  Heat 1T of the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until quite hot, but not smoking.  Place the scallops in the pan and leave ALONE for 1-2 minutes (watch the clock not the scallops, to resist the urge to check), or until golden, flip and repeat.  Remove to a plate.  They should be golden brown and just opaque in the center.  

2.  Add the ginger and garlic.  Be careful not to let them burn, add the spinach (or the zucchini), a couple pinches of salt, and stir constantly until wilted.  

3.  Serve the scallops over the greens or zucchini.  

That's it.  Stupidly easy.  I think a nice baguette for you bread eaters out there would work with this dish.  But I didn't really miss it.