Seared Scallops with Lemon Orzo

Sear the scallops while the orzo cooks. Serve this easy but impressive meal with a green salad, garlic bread, and a crisp white wine.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 4 1/2 ounces scallops and about 3/4 cup pasta mixture)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  prechopped onion
• 1  cup  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  dry white wine
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2  pounds  sea scallops
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

Preparation

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in pasta, broth, wine, and thyme; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente. Stir in chopped chives and lemon juice. Keep warm.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops evenly with salt and pepper. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with pasta mixture.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

480 (10% from fat)

Fat:

5.1g (sat 1.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

60.9g

Carbohydrate:

45.5g

Fiber:

2.2g

Cholesterol:

122mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

875mg

Calcium:

95mg