Scallops and Spinach

Two of my very favorite things were combined tonight into a dinner made just for me by my sweet husband!  I love scallops so much that they are definitely included in my "last meal of all time" list.  (I'm not planning on needing that list any time soon, but you know what I mean.)  He paired them with sauteed spinach and a baked sweet potato.  It was a delicious and child-free dinner.  We try our very best to sit at the table and eat as a family as many nights as we can.  There are many studies that show what a benefit that is to raising productive, honest, children, but every so often, I need to eat without them - all of the parents of a two-year-old know what I mean.  So thank you to my wonderful husband for a wonderful dinner!

Easy Skillet Scallops and Spinach 
1 lb. sea scallops
bacon - one piece for each scallop
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole spinach leaves
sea salt and black pepper to taste
lemon wedges


Fry the bacon until almost done, but still somewhat pliable.
In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp. of the coconut oil, along with the shallot and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
Remove the spinach mixture from the pan, add the remaining coconut oil, season the scallops with salt and pepper, (we patted them dry first) and wrap with a piece of bacon, secured with a toothpick.  Cook the scallops over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side.
Serve immediately over the spinach with lemon wedges.


(taken from Everyday Paleo, by Sarah Fragoso)

Chicken BLT Salad

This recipe was inspired by one I found in Primal Blueprint, a cookbook by Mark Sisson.  Hard to believe that this is on my diet plan, but it is, and it was so yummy.  My husband loved it too since he loves just about anything with bacon.  If you love BLT sandwiches, you'll love this recipe too.  And you'll never miss the bread! 


Chicken BLT Salad
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

This isn't that great of a picture, but it still tasted good!

8 strips of bacon
one avocado, sliced
one tomato, sliced
4 tsp. light mayo
mixed greens


Crisp cook the bacon and set aside to drain.  Butterfly the chicken breast so they lay flat.  Warm some EVOO in a large skillet and brown chicken on one side for 4-6 minutes.  Then, turn to other side and continue cooking, with a lid on the skillet for another 8-10 minutes.  Spread each chicken breast with 1 tsp. of light mayo.  Layer mixed greens with tomato slices, 2 pieces of bacon, chicken, and avocado and enjoy!

Pecan Crusted Chicken and Mashed Cauliflower

I'm finally back on the blog and posting great recipes!  We had this one for dinner and it was delicious and easy.  Lately, we've been trying recipes inspired by the paleo diet.  The diet  is founded in the belief that we should eat with  our ancient ancestors' as inspiration.  I have felt a huge difference in my energy levels throughout the day and have lost 8 pounds!  This recipe is from Everyday Paleo, by Sarah Fragoso.  Whether you're trying to eat gluten free or not, this is still a great dinner combination!  (And I promise not to post only diet food!  I always make sure it tastes great, and let's face it, I'm still a Southern girl who loves butter and fried food!)


Pecan Crusted Chicken


1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
2 tbsp. honey (raw organic is preferred - but I didn't have that) 
1 cup pecans, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Preheat oven to 350F.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together mustard and honey.  Toss the pecans in a food processor and pulse until nuts are finely chopped.  Pour the pecans in a bowl and set aside.
Using a paper towel, remove excess moisture from the outside of the chicken breasts.  Taking one chicken breast at a time, roll the chicken in the mustard-honey mixture and coat on both sides.
Transfer the coated chicken into the chopped pecans and again cover both sides.
Place the crusted chicken onto a greased baking dish and sprinkle with a little sea salt, if desired.
Bake 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.




Mashed Cauliflower


Boil or steam one head of chopped cauliflower.  (Boiling it in part water, part chicken stock gives it great flavor!)  When done, drain the water off the cauliflower and mash it as you would mash potatoes.  You can add butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to your liking.

Dinner in Texas has a new look!

Become a follower of Dinner in Texas at the right of your screen!  I will be posting some of my family's favorite holiday recipes soon!

Cheesy Beef Empanadas with Avocado Cream Sauce

I love when I find a recipe and think, "I can do that, but maybe different," and it actually works out.  I found a recipe like this that was for broccoli and cheese stuffers.  I changed it and created some yummy empanadas that are baked instead of fried and I put together an avocado cream sauce to go with them.  Really easy and my family really liked them!


Baked Cheesy Beef Empanadas
1 egg with 1 tbsp. water for egg wash
2 cans french bread dough (I used Pillsbury dough in a can.)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup jarred cheese, like Cheese Wiz
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 tsp. cumin
1 packet Fiesta Ranch Hidden Valley dip/dressing mix


Preheat oven to 425.  Cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.  Add meat and brown until done.  Sprinkle packet of Ranch mix and cumin over meat.  Stir to coat the meat in the spices.  Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted.


Flour a surface and rolling pin and roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thick.  Cut the dough into 4" circles.  


Spoon approximately 2 tbsp. into the middle of the dough.  Fold the dough over and crease it with a fork. 


Place the empanadas on a greased cookie sheet and brush with the egg wash.


Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.


Avocado Cream Sauce


2 avocados
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. Kosher salt
3-5 tbsp. water


Mix the ingredients in the blender, starting with 3 tbsp. of water and adding in small amounts of water until sauce is to the thickness of your liking.  It was delicious for dipping the empanadas in!

Garlic and Parmesan Bread Knots

Every so often, my husband and I feed the kids dinner, give them their baths, put them to bed, and then we cook together and eat with not even one bite being interrupted.  We usually make something we know the kids won't eat, but that we love, and then we sit in the living room to eat - something we try to never do with the kids.  Last night, we grilled steaks, roasted some asparagus, and made a new potato recipe that turned out great.  (I'll post the asparagus and potato recipes later.)  I also made these Garlic and Parmesan Bread Knots.  They were awesome.  I found the recipe on www.realmomkitchen.com, but changed it just a little for what I already had on hand.  I will definitely be making these again.  I'm thinking they would be great at Thanksgiving!

Garlic and Parmesan Bread Knots

1 can of 8 biscuits (I used Grands, Jr! Butter Flake)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese (I used the kind from the green can.)

Roll each biscuit into a rope (I just used my hands) then tie into a knot and tuck the ends under.  Place 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  In a bowl, combine oil, seasonings and cheese.  Spoon mixture (or brush it) over the knots while they're still warm.  I made them ahead and then stuck them back in the oven for just a couple of minutes to warm back up.  They were so good!

Denise's Poppy Seed Cake

Carrying on with recipes from my friend Lauren's family, I'm sharing her mom Denise's Poppy Seed Cake recipe.  Lauren and I met during our first week as freshman at Texas A&M University and we've pretty much never been apart since, building what is now a wonderful friendship with lots of stories to tell - many of which I can't tell my mother.  Over the past 13 years that I've known Lauren and her family, I've never had anything Denise made that I didn't love.  My very favorite thing she makes is her potato salad.  But, this cake comes in a close second and is good pretty much anytime of day - including for breakfast!

Denise's Poppy Seed Cake

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake mix
1/2 cup sugar (baking Splenda works also)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 8oz. container sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 tbsp. poppy seeds

Mix well the cake mix, sugar, oil, sour cream, and vanilla.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until batter is smooth.  Fold in poppy seeds.  Pour into a well greased (Crisco) and sugared Bundt pan.  (The sugared Bundt pan makes all the difference.)  Bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes.  Allow to cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.  You can sprinkle powdered sugar on the top for fun.