give it to me cheap.

the early bird loves when what's cheap is what's good. it can totally work in your favor to walk into a market resolved that you will only buy what's on sale and what's in season and design your menu from there. this is how the bird buys anything from the fish counter. i always pick what is on sale and go from there. it keeps me on budget and on my toes. so win one for whole foods and a crazy sea scallop sale a couple of weeks ago. it gave the bird and her tiger a chance to have a delicious mexican influenced scallop meal. yum yum. the tiger and the bird LOVE scallops.

ah, the scallop. less common than clams, not as prestigious as oysters, but one of the best mollusks out there in the great wide sea nonetheless. i love scallops. even back in my unadventurous days of youth where i was convinced that the only fish i liked was haddock, i liked scallops. as silly as it may sound, the first time i cooked scallops and it was a success was a moment of genuine fulfillment. it had done my mother, who herself had never put a tough or chewy scallop on anyone's plate, proud. pronounce that "a" however you want, scallops are extraordinarily delicious and exceptionally nutritious. high in vitamin b12, and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and the minerals magnesium and potassium, scallops are great for cardiovascular health and can prevent both heart attack and stroke. additionally, vitamin b12 can aid in the prevention of colon cancer.

scallops are simple and fast. a little bit wham bam thank you ma'am. the trick is not to overcook them and make them tough and chewy. they cook quickly and they will continue to cook when removed from heat and in reaction to the acid of any lime or lemon juice that you may squeeze on them.

chili lime scallops with corn black bean tomato salsa and rice on tortillas

1 lb sea scallops

fresh cilantro, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped finely

3 limes

chili powder

cayenne pepper

sea salt

cholula hot sauce

1 can yellow kernel corn (organic &/or no-salt added if you can find it), rinses and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

corn tortillas

1 cup brown rice

1 small sweet onion, diced

4 tomatoes (a mixture of red and yellow tomatoes gives a nice color to the dish), diced

bring 2 cups of water, 1 cup brown rice, 2 cloves garlic chopped finely, a dash of sea salt and a dash of hot sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done.

in a pot, combine corn, beans, tomatoes, onion, 2 cloves garlic chopped finely, sea salt (to taste), 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, juice of 1 lime, and hot sauce. cover and heat over medium heat.

in a skillet add scallops and the remaining 2 cloves of chopped garlic

squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the scallops

season with sea salt, cayenne pepper and chili powder (to taste)

add fresh chopped cilantro

cook over medium heat, turning scallops once, until opaque, less than 5 minutes

remove from heat and squeeze the juice of the remaining lime over the scallop mixture

to serve, spoon rice on top of a tortilla, top with salsa mixture and then top with scallops. add additional hot sauce and seasoning to suite your taste. (the bird likes it hot.) and enjoy.