Scallops with Spinach and Paprika Syrup

Good evening,
This is a later post than the last ones, sorry for the delay. This is one of my husband's favorite recipe, and since it takes 20 minutes or less, it was perfect for yet another night when I teach Zumba. I got this one from Cooking Light magazine, which is an awesome magazine, chock full of nutritional information and great recipes. You can also check their online companion, www.myrecipes.com.

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsps of olive oil
1/2 lb of jumbo sea scallops (Costco currently sells a 2 lb bag for $20)
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
10 oz fresh baby spinach

Directions
Bring the sugar, paprika, red pepper and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook on medium (3 to 3.5) for 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (5 to 5.5). Add 1 tsp of olive oil to pan, swirl to coat. Pat scallops dry with paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook in the skillet. They are so easy to overcook that a good tip is to set your time for 2 minutes, cook them one side, and then flip them, and set your time for another 2 minutes. That way, you will not overcook them, guaranteed. Set them aside on a serving dish, cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm.
Add remaining olive oil on the skillet, add garlic and let the garlic brown before adding spinach. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes, or until wilted and coated with garlic and olive oil mix. Serve spinach, with scallops on top and drizzle paprika sauce over the scallops.

I will be cooking the black beans recipe tomorrow, although not the traditional Brazilian dish, Feijoada. This recipe is also a Cooking Light recipe, and it is a budget recipe, with each serving costing less than $1.86 :)
Because most people don't have a pressure cook pan, I am going to do it the old-fashioned way, which means you must rinse, clean and pick the bad beans tonight, set aside and cover it with 2 inches of water. Let the beans soak for 8 hours before cooking it tomorrow night.

It's almost Friday :)
Happy Loopy Day,
Thais