Indian-Spiced Braised Swiss Chard with Tofu

Here we go - another Indian inspired meal! You would think I was foreign with the amount of Indian or Asian style cooking that I do. I think the reason for this is my sincere love for spices. Not spice, as in heat, but spices. Those wonderful bursts of flavor that can play together in so many different ways. While Indian is the spice king when it comes to cuisines, I group Asian in there for the wonderful flavors of ginger, chili, coriander...then bursts of cilantro and other bright notes.

I had picked up some tofu from the Tokyo Fish Market since it is such an affordable source of protein and I'm enjoying familiarizing myself with it and testing different applications.

Tonight's meal came from yet another refrigerator raid, picking two items that I have and seeing what the World Wide Web would present to me. Result? Indian-Spiced Braised Swiss Chard with Tofu. What an easy selection, my research stopped there.

I decided to do a half recipe which was perfect for a good sized dinner portion and then a lunch portion (eaten today and thoroughly enjoyed it).

Indian-spiced braised Swiss Chard with Tofu

Serves 4

2 bunches swiss chard (approx. 16 - 18 leaves)
1 block extra firm tofu, sliced in half and then cubed (I used medium firm, worked out quite well)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped (I used red onion)
1 tbsp ginger, minced fine (used ginger juice, see below)
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup roasted cashews, for garnish

Method:

1. Trim the stalks from the swiss chard leaves. Set stalks aside. Cut the chard leaves crosswise into thin strips, and wash and drain thoroughly. Chop the stalks into a fine dice.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger. Saute a few minutes till golden brown.

Now add the chard stalks. Saute 1-2 minutes more. Add the turmeric, garam masala, cumin powder, red chili powder, and salt. Saute a few minutes till fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook till mixture is pulpy.

3. Add the swiss chard leaves and cook on med-high a few minutes, just until the leaves wilt.

Now add the tofu and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low and simmer 15 minutes till chard cooks down and the flavors meld together.

4. Sprinkle with cashews and cilantro (didn't have - bummer) just before serving.

Given my novice status with both tofu and Indian cuisine, I followed this recipe without any personal variation - well except I probably used a little more swiss chard than it called for since I wanted to use it all up - I think I had 10 leaves or something...

The other variations would be the use of red onion instead of regular and the substitution of ginger juice for fresh ginger (I thought that I was out, come to find it was only hiding in my refrigerator). Still it gave me an opportunity to try the ginger juice that I had purchased from the beer/wine store as a possible mixer for alcoholic beverages - however, it is perfect for cooking too! I believe it was a one-to-one ratio but don't quote me on that. It's a pure ginger taste - it's the real thing. Sure beats peeling and chopping that root!!



What's great about this recipe is the way that the spices and flavors really meld in such a way that it is difficult to pick out any specific item. They were subtle yet strong at the same time. Really delightful. I want to try and make this one for Derek and see what he thinks! If you don't want to use tofu, the swiss chard by itself is really killer so it could be a wonderful side dish to some other Indian entree - maybe tandoori chicken? Chickpeas? Mmmmm this is making me want some more.

Tuna Nicoise Salad

To be perfectly honest, I've always scoffed at the thought of a tuna nicoise salad. There are a few good reasons for this:

1) I dislike black olives - for the most part
2) I dislike cooked tuna - or rather, prefer it raw
3) I find potatoes to be a bit heavy for a salad
4) I think of a creamyish dressing when I think of the salad

These objections are all pretty poor I guess. I never really have considered a tuna nicoise salad seriously - that is, until the other night when for some reason it popped into my head that it would be the absolutely perfect meal to make! Go figure!

Perhaps I was more excited about eating it because I would be making it myself and could adjust flavors and cook the tuna exactly as I pleased.

For the dressing, I simply took a look at a suggested recipe, saw what ingredients went into and and then went on my merry way adding this and that to come up with a final product that I was pleased with.

Dressing
Juice 1/2 lemon
1 tsp whole grain mustard
splash caper juice
1/2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
pepper
sprig thyme, leaves removed
2 chives, minced
2 tsp. EVOO
1 tsp. mystery herb (see below)
1 small garlic clove, minced


MYSTERY Ingredient - has a bit of a sour/lemon taste



Tuna
tuna
salt
pepper
EVOO




Salad
3 small potatoes (I used yellow skin but you can use red)
1 egg, hard boiled
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
10-12 green beans, cut into 2 in. pieces
1/2-1 tsp. capers

For the dressing, add all of the ingredients with exception to the EVOO. In a slow stream, whisk the EVOO into the mixture until it has emulsified.

For the salad, I started by hard boiling the egg (putting the egg into cold water in sauce pan, bringing it up to a boil and then turning down the flame for 10 minutes so that the egg is cooking in the warm liquid but the bubbles aren't breaking the surface. After 10 minutes, put immediately into an ice bath. Using the same water (or different), add some salt and then bring the potatoes to a boil. After about 12 minutes, add the green beans. Once the potatoes are tender, remove both the potatoes and green beans and add to an ice bath to stop the cooking.

Halve the potatoes and toss those and the green beans with a bit of the vinaigrette to lightly coat.

To assemble, lay a bed of lettuce on a plate. Scatter the tomatoes and green beans on top. Arrange the potatoes and sliced egg (slized horizontally) on the salad. Throw on the capers.

Drizzle all over with dressing.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan until very hot. Add the tuna (rubbed in EVOO and salt and pepper) and sear for about one minute. Flip and cook for about one more minute (to desired doneness, for me, the rarer the better and I would have actually liked mine cooked a bit less. The recipe that I had ready said two minutes per side - that would have been an injustice to the perfect cut of tuna!!).

Slice and top the salad with the tuna. Add a touch of vinaigrette onto the tuna (do not saturate, you want the delicious tuna flavor to come through!!).

Enjoy!



I was soooo happy with this meal and extremely pleased with myself for putting it together. The flavors were truly explosive and complimentary. It was hearty without being heavy, my favorite type of dish.

Fabulous.

Curried Cauliflower and Green Bean Salad with Lemon Yogurt

I've had this recipe stashed in my "to do" collection for a few months now after having seen it on foodandwine.com. I think what intrigued me was the picture of the dish that just looked so beautiful with the red onion, cream colored cauliflower and green beans. Also - there's something just so delicious about roasted vegetables - they have such a rich depth to them without being sinful.

Here's one dish I felt no guilt about coming back for seconds - clearing out the entire recipe in one setting. Mind you, I was a bit full at the end of it, but it was satisfying and delicious and I couldn't just leave the last little bit remaining on the pan, could I? I think not.

Curried Cauliflower and Green Bean Salad with Lemon Yogurt

Ingredients

One 2 1/4-pound head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 slices of white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
1 teaspoon mild curry powder, such as Madras
1 cup fat-free, Greek-style plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 garlic clove, finely grated


Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and onion with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper; spread the vegetables on a large baking sheet. In the same bowl, toss the beans with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the beans on a small baking sheet. Roast all of the vegetables until crisp-tender and lightly browned, stirring once or twice, about 14 minutes for the beans and 16 for the cauliflower and onions. Return all of the vegetables to the bowl and let cool.
2.Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the bread and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and season with salt.
3.In the same skillet, toast the curry powder over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Scrape the curry over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
4.In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with the lemon juice, cilantro and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the vegetables with the croutons and serve with the yogurt sauce.



The above photo shows plate #1 - haha I guess it says something about the dish when I just couldn't get enough of it!!

I will have to say, the one gripe was the amount of garlic in the yogurt sauce. To me, it was overpowering and I would have rather had less garlic and more lemon. Good to know for next time!

Pan-Roasted Scallops with Fava Bean Puree

When I'm cooking for myself, I think it is best to treat myself to a fun, "gourmet" meal every now and then - I'd say at least once a week. Sunday nights are a perfect forum for doing this because you can go out during the day and grab the ingredients for whatever strikes your fancy and then spend a quiet and relaxing evening inside with the comfort of an exquisite meal (or so you hope) and a glass of wine.

It's rare that I will go to the store and purchase a piece of chicken or steak all on my own simply because these are not typically the meats that I crave. Fish or seafood is typically my idea of palate perfection and tonight I wanted some of those wonderful sea scallops that I had been craving last week and had to settle for bay scallops instead. Though those were delicious in their own right, they were not perfectly seared, large, sweet, tender sea scallops.

Of course, needing an ispiration for what to make along with my scallops, I opened my refrigerator door to find some fava beans that needed to be used. Then it was the question - to eat the beans whole or in a puree. Puree won - how fun - a meal all set - for one!
(originally was not meant to be a corny rhyme but as my fingers kept typing, it somehow morphed into one...sorry)

Note on my portioning for the recipe - the recipe says it is a 4 serving recipe. This is probably fairly accurate (with hopes that you serve something along with this). I did a one serving scallops (4 large ones) and then made 2/3 recipe of the fava bean puree. That was probably a little much for one person but it was oh-so tasty that I had no problem finishing it. Rather than the puree being an accompaniment - it was a solid side dish for me. If you want a lot of the fava bean puree - I'd suggest portioning 1/2 recipe per person.



Pan-Roasted Scallops with Fava Bean Puree

For the fava bean puree:
(reminder - I did 2/3 of this recipe)

1 cup fava beans
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small Idaho potato
1/2 cup chicken stock, plus extra
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

For the pan roasted scallops:
(reminder: I made 4 scallops - used butter instead of EVOO - probably 2 tsp.)

1 pound sea scallops
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the fava bean puree:
1. Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Remove the outer shell of each fava bean. Blanch the fava beans in the boiling water until they are bright green and tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the beans and plunge them into the ice bath. When cool, drain and dry on paper towels.

2. In a small sauce pot, cook the onion, garlic, thyme, pinch of salt, fresh pepper and olive oil over medium heat until the onion begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock.

3. Peel and dice the potato and add it to the pot. Cook, uncovered, until the potato is completely tender, about 20 minutes. Add a splash of chicken stock as needed to prevent the mixture from drying out.

4. If using fresh thyme (I did), remove it now. Puree the potato mixture in a blender or food processor. Add the fava beans and puree. Add chicken stock by the tablespoon until the consistency is pourable. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

For the scallops:

1. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.

2. Add the oil (butter) to a sauté pan and heat over high heat.

3. Add the scallops to the hot pan and sear for about 2 minutes on each side.

4. To serve, place 1/4 cup (or a huge mound like me) of the fava bean puree in the center of a warmed plate and top with the scallops.

Holy mackerel! Heaven! My comments are probably starting to sound like Rachael Ray who is so "wowed" by everything that I have a hard time believing that everything is just out of this world amazing - but I have to say, I'd be happy to get this in a restaurant. The scallops were soooo tender and sweet. I texted Derek while I was eating them that he has to try my scallops sometime because I have to admit that I've had some good success in my time cooking those bad boys. I would maybe even add a little more butter and a little higher heat so I could get even more of a sear on them, but they were quite tasty as they were.

As for the fava bean puree - complete deliciousness. The thyme and reduced chicken broth (reduced from long cooking time) created a flavor combination that was lively and comforting at the same time. I did have to keep adding some broth to the potatoes as they were cooking so they would remain in liquid. They are as comforting as mashed potatoes (probably because they have mashed potatoes in them) but have some nutiritional perks too so it is a perfect blend with the light scallops.

Served this with a few slices of my fresh-from-the-oven rosemary bread, poured myself a glass (ok, two glasses) of chardonnay and thoroughly enjoyed my solo Sunday evening.

Vegetable Miso Soup

Isn't it fun when you just start chopping ingredients and throwing them into a pot, hoping that they will all blend together to make something delicious? This was my gameplan for this meal. I had quite a few vegetables plus some leftovers (wakame salad)and new ingredients (miso paste). Additionally, I didn't want to have to buy anything as money has just seemed to be vanishing into thin air lately. Funny how that happens.

In order to track what I put into the soup - let's call it Vegetable Miso Soup - I took a picture - as seen below:



Ingredients (approximately)

1.5 T. vegetable oil
1 to 1.5 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion, finely diced
1 large stalk of broccoli, trimmed and florets separated
1 1/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (stemmed)
2 cups green cabbage, sliced
2 heads of bok choy (about 2 cups), sliced
5 T. miso paste
5 cups water
1/2 cup enoki mushrooms
1/2 cup wakame salad (lefovers - otherwise used rehydrated wakame and add a touch of sesame oil and pinch of sugar to the soup to recreate the flavors)

In a large soup pot, add the oil and heat over medium to medium high heat. Add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.

Add the onion and cook until it softens (about 4-5 minutes).

Add the broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and cabbage. Saute for about 7 minutes more.

Add the miso paste and water and mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then turn to a medium low heat for simmering. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the enoki mushrooms and wakame salad. Leave in long enough to heat through - 2 minutes.

Adjust with pepper if needed (the miso has enough salt, do not add any!!)

Serve warm!





I had bought some silken tofu to go with this meal as well. However, I had enough food for that meal so I decided not to throw it in. Last night though, I added the tofu to the soup when I reheated it and it was a great addition - that is, if you like silken tofu. It's my favorite - it's just a like a soft custard addition to the soup. I highly recommend adding this in!

Poached Egg with Indian Onion Masala

After having some incredible Indian food two times within one week, I was a bit on an Indian kick - and must say, I probably still am. My more recent Indian excursion was to a South Indian restaurant that serves food quite unlike the traditional curries and tikka whatnot that fill many Indian menus. Instead, the South Indian cuisine focuses on rice, lentil and coconut, but not necessarily in its typical state. For example, rather than serving a side of rice with a curry, rice is used for common dishes such as dosa (a crepe made from rice and lentils), Uttappam (a thicker - pancake version of a dosa with rice and lentils) and Idli (a fluffy steamed rice and lentil cake.

Additionally - the new surprise dish that really wowed me was Vada, Dahi Vada to be exact. This is a fried lentil dumpling - think donut - that is then soaked in water (or the yogurt sauce, I've seen both) so it is very moist, and then served in a yogurt sauce with typical garnishes such as tamarind and chutney. Funny enough, I would have never known this was a fried dish, it tasted so refreshing! The blend of flavors is just incredible and the cool yogurt with the soft dumpling is quite amazing.

After having these wonderful Indian dishes - I decided to continue on with the general Indian theme as I still had leftovers from my first meal and needed an accompaniment. Given that I think poached eggs are one of the easiest and most tasty dishes for the moment, I searched for "Indian Poached Eggs" something I know is completely non-traditional but I thought, hey perhaps some fusion chef had thought this one up. I came across a recipe for "Eggs Poached in an Onion Gravy" - the name turned me off a little - "gravy" sound real healthy...though I do know they call any type of sauce either a gravy or masala...so I took a look and saw that I had the ingredients and decided to give it a go!

Eggs Poached in Onion Gravy
note: I scaled the recipe to a 1 serving - so cut everything by 75%

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 large onions (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic ( chopped)
3 tbs oil
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmuric
1/2 cup water
salt
cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a WIDE pan add chopped garlic fry for 1 min then add chopped onions,turmuric and salt mix ,cover and cook on a low flame until onions are soft then add chilli powder , curry powder and 1/2 cup water cook for 2 more min then crack eggs one by one directly in to pan keeping place in between each egg do not distrub or mix eggs ,cover the lid and cook on a low flame for 10 min or until eggs are cooked completely then garnish with cilantro

I had used a sweet onion so this dish was one that I would describe as "sweet" in nature - with the curry and sweet onion that was slowly cooked. It was a great contrast to the spicy leftovers that I had. I would reduce the cooking time of the egg a little because it wasn't really runny, the yolk had begun to cook - which is completely up to the diner as to how they like their eggs. I was quite pleased and it served to satisfy my Indian craving without calling for odd ingredients and was very easy to prepare.

Tuna Poke with Japanese Risotto and Wakame Salad

I wanted to make something fun for the last dinner before Derek flew off to Vegas for the summer - well, for the next six weeks at least. I had a craving for Tune Poke and had also bookmarked an interesting recipe that I had come across for Japanese Risotto. This made menu planning quite simple as I had a great protein, starch, and then threw in a wakame (or seaweed) salad for the vegetable. Sake for the evening libation and bada-bing-bada-boom, a meal is ready for creation!

I took charge of the Japanese Risotto and have to say, I did one heck of a job. Followed the recipe ALMOST completely, though I decided to add in some shiitake mushrooms that it didn't call for. The recipe says that it is four servings but Derek and I finished up a full recipe - no problem. Perhaps four smaller appetizer portions?

Japanese Risotto with Mushrooms
recipe from Whole Living

4 1/2 cups miso-infused broth (about 1 T. miso paste per cup of water)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Kokohu Rose or other short-grain rice
1/2 cup sake
3/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup enoki mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup Kaiware sprouts

Directions
1.Combine 4.5 tablespoons miso paste (we used red soybean) with 4 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer.
2.In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice, stirring constantly in one direction, until well coated. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sake. Return to the heat and stir constantly in one direction until all of the liquid is absorbed.
3.Add the shiitake mushrooms. Add the stock or broth in 1/2-cup increments, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed with each addition. Season with salt and pepper.
4.Spoon into serving bowls, garnish with the mushrooms, scallions, and sprouts and serve.

For the vegetable, I felt like making one of those delicious seaweed salads. Therefore, I picked up some dried wakame and reconstituted the seaweed as directed. What was amazing was how the little threads of dried wakame turn into this:

That is some piece of sea vegetable if I've ever seen one!!

Wakame Salad
measurements are approximate - Derek sort of threw in a little this and a little that

1/2 ounce dried wakame
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. grapeseed oil
1 t. sesame oil
1 T. soy sauce
2-3 T. miso broth
1.5 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted (I'd recommend using a little more)
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse the wakame, place in a bowl, and cover with water. Soak until soft, about 5 minutes. Squeeze dry and trim away the spines, if there are any. Slice into thin strips, and toss in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Chill if desired.


For the Tuna Poke - the "star" of the meal - I purchased two different types of raw sushi-grade tuna. The first was just traditional "maguro" while the other one was, I think, Bluefin - the more expensive of the two. After taste testing the raw material, I can see why. Both were tasty but the blufin just melted and had a more pronounced flavor - in a good way.

Tuna Poke
...the recipe went something like this...

1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 pound sushi-grade tuna, cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
1 garlic clove, minced
red pepper flakes, to taste

Mix all ingredients. Keep chilled.


As an additional treat, Derek came home with some more flowers for me to enjoy and admire while he is away. I had mentioned that I love the Birds of Paradise flower so I was quite happy when I could set them on my table. The last meal:

Seared Scallops with Tomatillo Guacamole and Roasted Corn Salsa

Memorial Day - a holiday perhaps traditionally celebrated with burgers or fried chicken, complimented with coleslaw and potato salad. When I was contemplating what to make for this wonderful holiday - a much anticipated day-off - only one ingredient came into mind as a MUST - that ingredient: CORN.

I then recalled coming across a recipe for scallops that incorporated corn. Obviously this is not what I ended using as my base recipe, but it brought forth the inspiration for my - perhaps not so traditional - Memorial Day meal.

I was a bit disappointed when we stopped by our meat market only to find that they were out of sea scallops! However, they did have sushi-grade bay scallops that the man behind the counter said tasted better than the sea scallops. Not wanting to try another store, we went ahead and purchased some of the bay scallops and hoped for the best!!

Our adapted recipe:

Scallops with Tomatillo Guacamole and Roasted Corn Salsa

Ingredients:
3/4 lb bay scallops (we used sushi-grade)
cumin
olive oil
salt

For the Tomatillo Guacamole:
1 avocado, halved and pitted
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño, roasted, seeded and coarsely chopped (I would use 1/2 jalapeno next time)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

For the Corn Salsa:
2 ears corn, shucked
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium yellow pepper, roasted slightly, roughly diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients for the guacamole in a food processor or blender and pulse until mixture is combined, but still fairly coarse. Set aside.

For the corn, par boil the cobs in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and place on a grill or gas flame to roast (about 4 minutes, moving the corn around so that it chars evenly). Once cooled, in the center of a large bowl, take one cob at a time, stand it upright and shave the kernels off with your knife.


Meanwhile, spray the tomato halves with EVOO and sprinkly with salt. Roast the tomato halves in an oven heated to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Toss together with the remaining ingredients for the salsa, and set aside.

Gently pat the scallops down with a towel until very dry, and season both sides well with cumin and salt on a large side plate.

Lightly coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and set over high heat. When the pan is smoking hot, add the scallops, making sure not to crowd the pan. Allow the first side of the scallops to sear without moving them, then flip to get the other side. If using bay scallops, you only need about 1 minute cooking time TOTAL.

Serve the scallops on top of the roasted corn salsa with a generous dollop of tomatillo guacamole.



I have to say that I was very proud of Derek for OK-ing the use of scallops in our dish. He is still a little weary to eat them even though he tested negative for scallop allergies. This is my slow conversion process for him to love scallops as much as I do and he seemed to enjoy the dish - success. I personally would have been slightly happier with the jumbo (or regular) sea scallops. The bay scallops had amazing flavor but it was harder to get a good sear on them. That's what I love so often about a nice big tender sea scallop - the perfect "crust" encasing a nearly raw inside that is so tender it parallels butter - and with each bite you close your eyes and savor the incredible sweet and delicious flavor. Ahhh..

For what it was, however, this dish was excellent. The roasting was completely our addition to the recipe as we find that it adds a wonderful flavor. A roasted cherry tomato take on a completely different form from its raw twin. The corn adds a touch of complexity beyond the raw, sweet deliciousness that it is.

My most significant change to this recipe would be to cut down on the jalapeno for the tomatillo guacamole. Alone, the guacamole was killer and would go so well on a taco or as a dip. With scallops, however, it was a little overpowering as the spice clouded over the subtle scallop flavor. I prefer the scallops to shine, and with the spiciness, it's difficult.

In all - it's a wonderful recipe with the ingredients that are in season now - perfectly light and tasty. Also a multi-use recipe as the salsa or guacamole could be used in a variety of settings.

Happy Memorial Day to me.