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.