Coconut infused quinoa, topped with a ginger vegetable medley saute and seared wild sea scallops.

I wish I had snapped a picture of this dish because it was so tasty, so easy, and so pretty.

It actually came out of my rummaging through my cupboards and fridge trying to come up with something for dinner that wouldn’t require me to leave the house. The result? Subtly infused quinoa with coconut milk, a delicious stir-fry of vegetables, and beautiful, golden-brown seared scallops.

The trick is to make this as a three-step process so that you can essentially layer it all together in the pan you’ve used to cook the quinoa. Start the quinoa, chop the veggies, cook the veggies, once the quinoa is done add the vegetables so that they’re sitting on top of the quinoa with the lid on, and then quickly sear the scallops.

This is relatively fast to do so would be great for a weeknight dinner party. Serve with a chilled white wine with a bit of bite, such as a Vinho Verde.

Coconut infused quinoa, topped with a ginger vegetable medley saute and seared wild sea scallops.

Serves 4

2 cups quinoa

3 cups coconut Milk (lite is fine if you’re concerned about the calories)

1 cup water

4 TB Olive Oil

2 TB Ginger (minced)

5 cups chopped, mixed veggies (whatever you like is fine, I did onions, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, chard, and scallions)

Wild sea scallops (about 4-5 per person, if smaller, do more)

Quinoa: Bring three cups coconut milk and one cup water to a boil. Stir in two cups quinoa (that has been rinsed), return to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and leave lid on.

Mixed veggies: Heat 2 TB olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the minced ginger and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the mixed veggies and cook until softened and nicely browning. Add on top of the cooked quinoa and allow to sit with the lid on, while you do the scallops.

Scallops: Heat the remaining 2 TB olive oil in the non-stick frying pan. When just about smoking add the scallops and cook until beginning to carmelize and golden brown on each side.

Serve the quinoa and the mixed vegetables in  shallow bowls and top each with scallops. Enjoy!