Hey All –
We had a pretty great Saturday. We got down to Rhode Island at about 1 o’clock this afternoon, and decided to go out to lunch and to the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) Museum.
Lunch was at Cafe Paragon on Thayer Street which was a flash back to my high school and college days. Ben ordered an amazing bowl of chili, which was perfect for the cold, rainy day. (I refuse to talk about how it started SNOWING during lunch!) I ordered one of my old favorites from Paragon, a grilled chicken sandwich that has roasted red pepper, fresh mozzarella, green lettuce, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It was still sooo good… instead of fries (which I sort of wanted!) I ordered mixed greens on the side.
I ate half of the sandwich and most of the mixed greens, along with a couple of spoonfuls of Ben’s awesome chili. I was not sure how good Paragon was going to be, since I had not visited in what seems like years but I was pleasantly surprised. Both of our meals were fantastic!
After lunch we went to the RISD Museum of Art. I am ashamed to say that I had not been to the Museum in a decade – how sad is this? Now that I have gone back, I will definitely be a more regular visitor. I was amazed by the collection on exhibit and we easily spent almost three hours in the galleries. I was impressed with the versatility of the collection – from Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol to an amazing collection of Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and John Singer Sargent (I never realized that he was born Italy!) to a wonderful exhibit on Yousuf Karsh (Portraits of Artists) it was a great visit. If you are ever in Providence, Rhode Island – stop by the RISD Museum of Art on Benefit Street – it will be well worth your time.
My mom and I made an amazing dinner for the four of us tonight. I have to thank mom for getting all of the ingredients (yay!) and it was a great and pretty easy meal to put together. It was a recipe from Cooking Light magazine…. and here it is:
Seared Scallops with Warm Tuscan Beans:
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup prechopped onion
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Preparation
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops evenly with salt. Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove scallops from pan; keep warm.
2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add pepper and garlic; cook 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until most of liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and beans; cook 2 minutes. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; stir in basil.
Grilled garlic bread is great for dipping into the brothy beans. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil evenly over 4 (1-ounce) slices French bread. Add bread to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Rub one side of each bread slice with cut sides of a halved garlic clove.
Nutritional Information
- Calories: 314
- Fat: 8.7g (sat 1.2g,mono 5.1g,poly 1.8g)
- Protein: 33.7g
- Carbohydrate: 24.8g
- Fiber: 6.1g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
- Iron: 3.2mg
- Sodium: 781mg
- Calcium: 112mg
And here is what my plate looked like – I had a bit of naan bread on the side….
This dinner was very filling – I did not have seconds. The beans were great, and they reminded me that I need to make a white bean dip in the near future.
Hope all of you are having a great weekend!
Sugar and Spice 
yummmers!!! Hi to your mom!!
Wasn’t that a great dinner?! That recipe is a keeper!
Fun having you guys – have a great week!