Seared Scallops and Pan-Seared Belgian Endives with White Wine Orange Reduction

This is my first post and I am excited because last night I made a delicious dinner!  Yay!  I had originally purchased endive and scallops for the grill, but because I live in Minnesota, mother nature took hold and it poured cats and dogs.  So, I searched for pan-seared endive recipes and came across this Pan-Seared Belgian Endives with White Wine Orange Reduction from The Fitchen.  So I decide to adjust this dish to make it SIBO legal and sear my scallops as well.  It was delicious and filling.  The reduction was amazing.  Next time I will make a double batch so I have more for dipping my scallops in!

I started by getting the endive dish going (see below for SIBO approved substitutions for the endive recipe).  Follow the instructions in the recipe for cutting the endive.  I decided to get the endive searing before making the reduction (instructions #3 and #4, skipping #2), which worked well because the reduction can continue to reduce while you work on the scallops.  Then I worked on the reduction (#2).  As I mentioned earlier, the reduction is amazing, so you should double it!

While the reduction thickens (and don't forget to stir once and awhile!!!), flip the endive and follow steps #5 and 6 - here I also put some slivered almonds and orange wedges in the pan to cook along side the endive.  While the endive cooks, prep the scallops.  Heat olive oil and butter (I just wing the amount but if you want a measurement just google "how to sear sea scallops") over medium-high heat in a frying pan.  While the oil and butter mixture gets hot, rinse your scallops and pat them dry -- this is important, a wet scallop won't sear properly!  Salt and pepper them lightly.  When the oil/butter is ready (you can tell by flicking some water in your pan and if it sizzles it is ready) place your scallops lightly in the pan.  You have been stirring your reduction this whole time, right?!?!  The scallops only need to cook for 2-3 minutes per side.  Nothing is worse than overcooked seafood, so make sure you are watching the time.

When the scallops have cooked on both sides, it is time to plate!  Voila!

SIBO Adjustments: Sub almonds for the pistachios.  Use honey, not maple syrup.  Also, make sure to use fresh squeezed orange juice.

Difficulty: Medium, but only  because of the scallops.  I had to time the dishes just right so they were done at the exact same time.

Time: It took me 1 hour from the time I started cooking to the time I got done eating.  I didn't know I was going to blog about SIBO until today, so I didn't time the cooking.  But, it probably took me about 20 minutes or so to eat, so cooking probably took 40.

Ingredients:
For the endives
3 medium Belgian endives
⅓ cup white wine vinegar
⅓ cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons slivered almonds
sea salt
fresh black pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil

For the scallops
8 (or however many you want) sea scallops
Butter
Olive oil

Lemon Parmesan Swiss Chard

Today at the farmer's market, I saw some beautiful Swiss chard.  I had never made this before, but knew it was SIBO friendly so I grabbed a bunch and decided to wing it.  I ended up making a lemon Parmesan Swiss chard.  It was pretty delicious!

You want to start by thoroughly washing the chard.  You can find videos online of the best way to prep leafy greens by doing a simple Google search.   Just make sure to get it nice and clean.  Most recipes call for keeping the stems and leaves separate for cooking, but I threw mine all together and it worked out fine.  

Heat a pan over medium heat.  Once the pan is warm, pour in about 1 tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil. (I never measure the oil I pour in the pan, I just drizzle some in).  Garlic infused oil is the only way to get good garlic flavor while following the SIBO Specific Diet.  I LOVE garlic so this oil is saving my life!

Let the oil get warm for a few seconds and toss in your chopped up chard and season with salt and pepper.  As I mentioned earlier, I cooked the stems and leaves together.  Most recipes call for cooking the stems first and adding the leaves after a couple of minutes, it is up to you.   

Stir often for about 4-5 minutes while the chard starts to wilt.  Once it is wilted, but not soggy, add in 1-2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of grated aged Parmesan.  Let the chard cook for about 1 more minute while the cheese melts and the flavors mingle.  Once the Parmesan is melted, you are ready to eat!  This is a bright and colorful dish that would make a great side for grilled chicken or fish.  It even went well with the leftover "taco" meat that I paired it with!

SIBO Adjustments:  Naturally SIBO friendly!

Difficulty:  Easy

Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 lemon
1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
2 tablespoons aged Parmesan
Salt & pepper

I

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust

Tonight I was craving pizza.  I miss pizza so much.  So, so much.  A friend had told me once that she made pizza crust out of squash, so I did a quick search on Google and found a ton of tasty looking recipes for squash pizza crust.  I decided to go with a spaghetti squash version so that I could eat any leftover squash and sauce the next day.  After checking out a couple of recipes, I decided to go with a pizza crust by A Beautiful Mess.  It only has 5 ingredients and is super easy.

I started by cooking the squash.  I actually did this the day before so that I could save some time when I wanted to make the pizza.  I used the biggest squash I could find so that I had some extra.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put a cookie sheet or pizza pan in the oven while it preheats.  Scoop out about 4 cups of squash and squeezed out all the water by taking tiny handfuls of squash and using my hands to squeeze.  This step is really important as you need the squash as dry as possible.  Once my squash was nice and dry, I mixed it together with the egg and spices.

Take your hot pan out of the oven and line it with parchment paper.  Spread out your squash mixture on the paper, making sure to keep it all the same thickness (about 1/4 inch).  Put the crust back in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until it starts to get brown on the edges.

While the crust cooks, make your sauce.  All you have to do is throw all the sauce ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.

Once the crust is ready, prepare your pizza.  I used tomato sauce, fresh roma tomatoes, basil, and some leftover cooked chicken breast.  Cover the pizza in a cheese of your choice (making sure it is aged and SIBO approved).  I used an aged Havarti.  I wanted to use smoked mozzarella, but the grocer was out.  The Havarti ended up being an amazing choice though.  Once your toppings are all one the pizza, toss it back in the oven until the cheese melts.  Voila!  Pizza!

The crust retained some of it's squashy flavor, but not a lot.  I had to eat mine with a fork because the crust didn't get crispy, but it was still very good and made me feel like I was enjoying pizza, so I would make it again.  I was also really hungry and started eating it before I thought about taking a picture.  Sorry about that, I am new to this blogging thing.  

SIBO Adjustments:  Make sure to use an aged cheese.  Make your own sauce or be sure to find one that doesn't have garlic, onion, or sugar in it.

Difficulty:  Moderate

Time:  1.5 hours (45 minutes for the squash, 10 minutes to prep crust, 30 minutes to cook crust, 5 minutes to cook pizza)

Ingredients:
For the crust
1 large spaghetti squash
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the sauce
1 carton crushed tomatoes (I use Pomi brand because it is just tomatoes)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (if using dried, only use 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 handful chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to liking

For the pizza
Aged cheese
Toppings of your choice

Strawberry "Chopped" Salad

I used to love making this Cape Cod Chopped Salad by Barefoot Contessa in the summer.  It's light and delicious, but still filling and doesn't feel like "just a salad".  However, their are quite a few ingredients that aren't allowed on the SIBO Specific Diet.  Sadness.  But tonight, while at the co-op, I saw some delicious, ripe, juicy strawberries on sale and went a little crazy when I bought 3 huge cartons.  I decided I needed to incorporate the berries in to more meals and thought it would be fun to make a version of this salad that is SIBO approved (I know there are tons of recipes specifically for strawberry salads, but what is the fun in that?).  So I grilled up some steaks and made this beautiful salad.

First, I got the bacon frying (make sure it is bacon with honey and not sugar, syrup, etc).  I like my bacon extra crispy, especially in salads.  Cooking bacon in the over is a much more mess-free way to do it, but it was 80 degrees out and I didn't want the oven turned on.

While the first batch of bacon fried, I chopped the strawberries.  I cut them in to 1/4 inch thick slices, but you could chop them up as well.  Check your bacon, does it need flipped?  Next, is time for the salad dressing.  I always make mine in a jar so that I can shake it all up with ease.  All I did was pour all of the ingredients for the dressing (listed below) in a jar and shake vigorously until it is all blended.  Voila!

Take your bacon out of the pan (if frying) and put it on a plate lined with paper towels to dry.  Then start prepping the salad.  I used one of those plastic containers of mixed greens.  I wanted arugula, but the market I went to didn't have any on hand.  Spinach would also be a good option.  In a large bowl, add in your (washed) lettuce/greens, cut strawberries, and walnuts.  Take your bacon from the paper towels and chop it up and throw it in the bowl.  If you plan to eat the entire salad in that sitting, mix in the amount of dressing that is to your personal tastes and mix it all up.  If you think you will be eating this salad for a couple of meals, just add dressing to your individual salad(s).  If you mix it in, the lettuce won't keep.  And don't worry if you don't use all of the dressing - it keeps well for about a week!

SIBO Adjustments:  Bacon with honey, mustard with no "spices" - I used Koop's Deli Style,  honey instead of maple syrup

 Difficulty:  Easy

Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:
For the salad
1 small carton strawberries
Handful chopped walnuts
1 container of mixed spring greens, arugula, or lettuce of your choice

For the dressing
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons mustard (see note above)
2 tablespoons honey
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup good olive oil