Monday, October 14, 2013

Saigon-Style Scallops...from Weight Watchers

I'm back again on making some great dishes with Weight Watchers recipes. As you know...when I started my blog a little over 3yrs ago, I successfully shed 35 lbs. on the Weight Watchers plan in about 4 months...but have gained it back in the next year, so I went back on the Weight Watcher plan on-line last year. I did not reach my goal this last time, and was only able to lose 20 lbs...and now again, I'm giving it another try before joining WW again; for the third time.
I had at least 3 amazing hard cover WW cookbooks with notebook binders...removable pages, plus another recent one that I received from a friend as a gift last year. I got rid of the 3 books...they were 'thrift finds' any way, and I re-donated them; but I did keep the one called  Weight Watchers One Pot Cookbook which as awesome one-pot dishes that does not even seem like a typical WW recipes, they are mostly comfort meals which is perfect for this time of year...comfy/cozy meals. The scallops I made were made in a wok but can also be made in a large skillet!
If you like scallops, which can be so versatile; also, shrimp could be a wonderful replacement for this dish. I made very little alteration to this this...not overly concerned about the 'point system' at this time, but if you serve it over a bed of salad greens, you will stay within the ---5--- points that it has.
 

SAIGON-STYLE SCALLOPS

slight adaptation from; Weight Watchers

1TBS CANOLA OIL
1SHALLOT MINCED
1TBS MINCED PEELED FRESH GINGER
2GARLIC CLOVES MINCED
2TBS PACKED BROWN SUGAR
1TBS ASIAN FISH SAUCE
2TSP GRANULATED SUGAR
¼TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES
3TBS WATER
1POUND SEA SCALLOPS
3SCALLIONS, THINLY SLICED
6CUPS LIGHTLY PACKED BABY GREENS

Directions

HEAT OIL IN MEDIUM DUTCH OVEN OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT. ADD SHALLOT, GINGER, AND GARLIC, COOK, STIRRING CONSTANTLY UNTIL FRAGRANT, ABOUT 1 MINUTE.

ADD BROWN SUGAR, FISH SAUCE, GRANULATED SUGAR, AND PEPPER FLAKES, SIMMER 1 MINUTE. CONTINUE TO COOK UNTIL MIXTURE BEGINS TO THICKEN; STIR IN WATER AND COOK, STIRRING FREQUENTLY, UNTIL SAUCE IS THICKENED, ABOUT 2 MINUTES.

ADD SCALLOPS AND COOK, STIRRING FREQUENTLY UNTIL JUST OPAQUE IN CENTER, ABOUT 3 MINUTES. WITH SLOTTED SPOON, TRANSFER SCALLOPS TO MEDIUM BOWL. ADD SCALLIONS TO SAUCE AND BRING TO BOIL. BOIL UNTIL SLIGHTLY THICKENED, ABOUT 3 MINUTES, POUR OVER SCALLOPS. DIVIDE SALAD GREENS EVENLY AMONG 4 PLATES, TOP EVENLY WITH SCALLOPS AND SAUCE .
 
These are the ingredients I used. In addition to the fish sauce, I added 2 Tbsp. Teriyaki sauce and a few drops of Tabasco sauce, and mixed the ingredients in a little bowl and added them in the process called for the sauces, and spices.











Make sure you have your shallots, garlic, fresh ginger, and scallion minced up in advance, and have it ready. The cooking time is very little. You can also add a sliced chilli pepper or two for color, and flavor.









For the scallops if they are wet...dry them with paper towel, do not let them be soaking in its liquid, or any liquid; otherwise you will have a difficult time searing them. I seared the scallops first, before adding the other ingredients. (Removed them from the pan)...added them back in when I poured the sauce ingredients over them and cooked them for an additional minute or two!





I used a wok to make this easy and packed with Asian flavors dish, but you can use a large skillet if you don't have a wok.









You can serve this amazing scallop dish over Jasmine rice, or a bed of delicate Mesculin greens...either way, you will love it...if you love scallops. Shrimp and cut into cubes of boneless breast of chicken is also a good replacement. The sauce alone is so divine! xo










A little update about Mushi...she is resting comfortably; has her own little pillows, and blanket...and she has come out of her hiding from my 'printer desk', closet, and you name it; whatever little hiding spot she could find. Had a little talk with her, and she has been snoozing on my lap while I'm on the computer, or watching TV.



 

27 comments:

Chris Scheuer said...

Your scallops look amazing and you kitty quite content, I can almost hear the purr, what a good home she has!!

Patty Magyar said...

Mush is so tiny and sweet! Den would love those scallops!

Torviewtoronto said...

looks wonderful

claudia lamascolo said...

you didn't make enough! I ate that pan lol! looks amazing ! hope your doing well!

Phong Hong said...

Elisabeth, your scallops are so yum! Oh yes, I would have them with loads of rice, which is actually bad for my diet hah! hah! I see you have a battle going on too and I wish you the best and that you and I achieve our ideal weight!

trollanyu said...

Szuper jól néz ki, a párom kedvence, de én is nagyon szeretem, így kis ázsai beütéssel meg nagyon finom lehet. Ne írd azt, hogy csak 20 lb, az 9 kg, az már nagyon szép eredmény, remélem most sikerül elérned, amit szeretnél. Gondolok rád holnap, remélem minden rendben lesz, nagyon jó az új fotód, fiatalos vagy, csinos és jókedvű, maradj is ilyen mindig:) Puszi

Böbe said...

Elisabeth ez valami mennyi finomság! És szuper jó a fotód. Puszillak:)

Angie Schneider said...

Those scallops are so succulent! And I love the sauce a lot, Elisabeth.
Best of luck with your WW diet!

Gizi said...

Kedves Elizabeth, nagyon finoman készítetted el a kagylót, és olyan gusztusosan tálaltad, hogy meg is kívántam. Sok sikert, és kitartást kívánok a diétádhoz!!! (nekem is fogynom kellene, de sajnos most nincs hozzá sem erőm, sem energiám végigcsinálni)
Musi nagyon szépséges cicus, és olyan pihe-puha a bundácskája hogy örömmel simogatnám. Vigyázz nagyon magadra. Puszillak

Kati said...

Elisabeth, ez tényleg olyan ínycsiklandó, hogy csak na:) Szívesen megkóstólnám:)
Tetszik az új profilfotód is:)
KItartást kívánok én is ha diétázol, tudom, hogy ewrő kell hozzá. Puszi:)

Priya Suresh said...

I dont eat scallops, but couldnt stop myself drooling here.

Swathi Iyer said...

Delicious Elisabeth, I love those Scallops. Now I am not looking at my weight as scales makes me scary.

scrambledhenfruit said...

Awww...Mushi looks so sweet! The scallops look delicious- I keep threatening to join WW, but keep putting it off. :)

Dawn Yucuis said...

Your scallops look very tasty. I lost about 20 pounds a few years ago and since I start blogging I have gained all back, I too am trying to lose the weight once again. It's not easy.

Gloria Baker said...

I love this récipe Elisabeth sometimes I make some weight watchers récipes and are soo good:) Im glad you finally find me lol

dentistvschef said...

I loved this kind of asian spiced scallop....
unfortunately this kind of "dry" scallop is not easy to found nearby my place, lucky you my friend !

Paula said...

My husband would devour these in a heartbeat! I'm glad your cat is doing well and I hope that your latest surgery went very well. Best wishes with WW.

Gina Stanley said...

Well you know what they say, "The third time is the charm". With delicious food like this you should be at your goal in no time. Mushi is so cute and I'm so glad all is going well with you my friend. Have a great rest of the week.
-Gina-

Ivy Sew said...

Hi Elisabeth, your scallops are really tempting and so yummy. I am drooling.. Thanks so much for sharing and have a wonderful day ahead :)

Illéskrisz Konyhája said...

Azt hiszem itthon fésűkagylónak hívják. Baromi drága, nem hiszem, hogy fogok venni... nagyon szívesen megkóstolnám... Guszta!

wanna said...

Guszta nagyon! Igen fésűkagyló, avagy coquilles Saint-Jacques/Jakab kagyló, fincsi nagyon!

Sissi said...

Elisabeth, I cross my fingers for your diet! This dish looks so marvellous, I'm sure you don't feel deprived of anything. Here somehow Weight Watchers are not very popular, but one of the two biggest supermarkets has lots of food products labelled Weight Watchers (containing the number of points), for example ground meat, yogurts, cheese, etc.

mia xara said...

Hi Elisabeth, with meals like these no one would even give a second thought about joining WW!!! The dish looks amazing !!! Little Mushi also looks so cozy... Have a great weekend :)

Amelia said...

Hi My dear Elisabeth, that's a very inviting and awesome scallop dish. The huge scallop look so delightful, wish I can join you. In Malaysia scallop is so expensive, we only eat this once in a while.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Thank you, for your lovely comments; I do appreciate, and value each and every one of your kind and sincere input to my post, photos, and recipe. Also, all your personal tid-bits...which warms my heart, and puts a smile on my face! Have a beautiful Sunday! Hugs,

Mr. & Mrs. P said...

What a great and healthy weeknight meal.. need to try it

Amelia said...

Hi my dearest Elisabeth, awesome scallops meal, look really good. The ingredients are so simple yet it look so flavorful. I think I need extra rice for this dish. :)) Our scallop here is super expensive, so we don't eat often.

Have a lovely weekend. With lots of love and hugs to you.