Sorry...I Am Sorry....and Crispy Saffron Rice

First off, I want to apologize for neglecting my blog! I hate to use my wedding as an excuse but it became difficult to find the time to sit down and write out my recipes. Couple that with a less than functioning old laptop and you have a blog that's been sitting idle for 8 months! Yikes!

But now I have no excuse. In fact, I have the most perfect excuse to start writing again. Here's my story..

For the past 10 years I've been struggling with hormonal acne. I've tried countless OTC remedies, visited top rated dermatologists, rubbed prescription lotions on my face and stuffed my mouth with antibiotics that were supposed to "cure" female adult acne. All this proved to do was dry out my skin, burn a hole in my wallet and basically treat the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance not cure it. Now, this post is not about my opinions on western medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. This post is about my decision to finally make a change in my life and treat the root cause of my issues, not just the symptoms. A change that will restore order in my body.

I had heard in the past that acupuncture can help to cure hormonal acne. This past week, I decided to visit a Holistic Doctor and Acupuncturist and find out if this could be the way to get rid of these nasty red bumps on my face. I could go on forever about the interesting things I learned about my body during my appointment but in an effort to keep your attention I'll give you the cliff notes. She found some deficiencies in my hormones. These deficiencies can be cured through a rigorous supplement plan of zinc, calcium and various Chinese herbs.

With that, my diet will have to change......Anyone that knows me knows that I am a self proclaimed foodie. Someone who loves to indulge, eat pasta, cheese and enjoy a cocktail. So when my acupuncturist told me that I needed to eliminate gluten, dairy, sugar and wait for it....alcohol...from my diet during the healing process, I was a little nervous. How was I going to survive 6-8 weeks without wine and cheese?!

However, when I sat down to digest what I needed to do, I realized how worth it this would be. How, if this new regime works, my hormones would be balanced and my skin would be clear. I would have restored balance and peace to my body from the inside out. And I would have done it without any harmful prescription drugs. This is exactly what I want. This was enough to make me steer clear of what my acupuncturist called inflammatory foods while my body is healing. And this doesn't mean I'll never enjoy a glass of wine or a Roquefort cheese ever again. But I will live a life of moderation, prioritizing the foods that restore health to my body.

So, with all of that said, I'm going to be exploring a lot of new recipes in the coming weeks. It's a really exciting opportunity for me to challenge myself in the kitchen and come up with creative new ways to add flavor to my cooking. And when I really think about, there is an abundance of options for delicious gluten free and dairy free food. In fact, I had already planned to make the recipe I'm about to share with you before I visited the acupuncturist and it's both gluten and dairy free!

Okay, I'll stop rambling and give you what you've been waiting for. My first recipe post on my new food journey!

Crispy Saffron Rice with Scallop Skewers

What You'll Need for the Rice:

• 1.5 cups of whole wheat basmati rice
• 2 tbsp. coconut butter or oil
• 6 or so saffron threads

What To Do:

• Boil 3 quarts of water
• Salt the water
• Add the rice and cook for about 30 mins or until tender
• While the rice is boiling, melt the coconut butter
• Grind the saffron
• Add the saffron to the butter and whisk until the butter takes on a red hue
• Drain the rice well
• Coat the bottom of the pot with about HALF of the butter mixture, making sure it goes up about an inch onto the sides
• Add the rice back to the pot creating a pyramid shape so that the rice only touches the bottom of the pot, not the sides
• Cover the pot with a few layers of paper towels and the lid and let simmer on medium low for about 20 mins
• Remove the rice and put into a separate bowl, do not take the bottom layer of the rice out yet (it should be stuck to the bottom and starting to crisp
• Let this crust crisp for a couple more minutes
• Meanwhile, add the rest of the butter to the cooked rice and stir until evenly coated
• When the crust is crisp but not burnt, remove from the heat
• Fill your sink with cold water and dip the bottom of the pot in the water (this should detach the crust from the bottom of the pot)
• Turn the pot over on top of the cooked rice and the crust should fall on top

What You'll Need for the Skewers:

• 1 lb scallops
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 Red Onion
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme

What to do (I suggest you start this process while the rice is cooking in the saffron butter):

• Chop the zucchini and onions and coat in a little olive oil and salt and pepper
• Coat the scallops with a little olive oil and salt and pepper
• Assemble your skewers, alternating scallop, zucchini and onion. There should be about 4 scallops on each skewer.
• Top this with a little fresh thyme
• Heat a grill pan over medium low heat
• Spray the pan with non cook cooking spray
• Grill the skewers until the scallops are cooked through but still tender, about 5 mins on each side

For the Dish:

Pile some rice on a plate, making sure to get some of the crust on there and top with 1 skewer. Serve with a little extra thyme on top and lemon.