Seared Scallops with Lemon Orzo and Asparagus

Tonight, I had a hot date with Kaiser and made her dinner :) Since we both enjoy seafood, I decided to keep up the trend of cooking it. I found another great recipe on Cooking Light and decided to check it out. I must say, from now on, I will always cook orzo this way...so full of flavor! YUM. I could make a meal out of just that, but I decided to serve the scallops too, and top it all off with asparagus...seeing green on my plate makes me feel more healthy :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup  pre-chopped onion (or shallot)
• 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 (I had green onions on hand and used those)
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2  pounds  sea scallops
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• bunch of asparagus

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. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle scallops evenly with salt and pepper. Add scallops to pan; cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with pasta mixture.

Prepare the asparagus however you prefer - steamed, baked, grilled, broiled, etc. I chose to bake the asparagus for about 10 minutes in a dish with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I then drizzled balsamic dressing over them once they were out of the oven. Serve with scallops and orzo.

Avgolemono Soup with Chicken and Orzo

Do you ever eat something at a restaurant and wish you could make it home? Well, I had this soup over 5 years ago at McLean Family Restaurant which I still think about. All I remembered was that it was Greek inspired and had orzo and lemon flavors. I was never able to find a recipe that seemed similar enough, until this month (no, I have not been searching constantly for years)! I came across this and it made my day. I took a chance at it last night and it came out pretty tasty...it's the soup I remember from years ago. This soup was also great for lunch today, thicker, but still delicious. I highly recommend it!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded into bite-sized pieces

1. Bring broth and dill to a boil in large saucepan and add orzo.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and remove one cup of broth from the pot (without any orzo in it.)  Let it cool for 5 minutes.

2. Put eggs and juice in blender and process until smooth and frothy.  With blender on, slowly pour the one cup of cooled broth that you removed from the pot into the blender and process until smooth.  This is to thin out the eggs a little more so they will blend in to the soup obediently later on.

3. Add carrot, salt, pepper and chicken to the broth and orzo in the pot.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until orzo is tender.  Reduce heat to low.

4. Slowly pour in egg mixture, stirring constantly, until soup is heated through, about 1-2 minutes.  Do not let it boil or you may get the dreaded curdling.  If you do, remind yourself that it is still going to taste just fine.  

5. Ladle into bowls and serve at once.