Mmmmm Scallops!

Here is another one of my favorites from

WS Essentials for Healthful Cooking..

(there is a lot of text, but it's really not difficult, trust me)

Spicy Scallops with Vegetable-Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 cup long-grain white rice (I used
brown rice)
3/4 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 slice preservative free
bacon (I used 3 slices of organic turkey
bacon)
1/4 cup finely chopped
red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (scallion), white part only

For the spice mixture:

1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon growd or finely crushed thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3/4 lb sea scallops
2 teaspoons canola oil
lemon wedges (optional)

Cook rice until tender. If using fresh peas, while the rice is cooking, bring a small saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil. Add the peas and boil until tender, about 5 minutes, Drain and set aside. If using frozen peas, set them aside.

Just before the rice is ready, in a frying pan over medium -high heat, fry the bacon until it start to brown, transfer to a paper towel to drain, then chop into 1/4 inch pieces. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the red onion and green onion to the bacon fat remaining in the pan (note: since I used turkey bacon, I didn't have much fat to work with, so I added a drizzle of vegetable oil to the pan) and saute until translucent. 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cooked peas. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and add the vegetable and bacon and combine, trying not to mash the rice.

To make the spice mixture, stir together the paprika, garlic and onion powders, thyme, cayenne, white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Measure out 1 1/2 teaspoons to use on the scallops. Store the remaining mixture in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to four weeks.

Remove the small muscle from the side of each scallop, if necessary. Halve the scallops horizontally. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture over the scallops pieces, turning to coat each side.

In a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Add the scallops in a single layer. Cook until seared and slightly blackend around the edges, 2-3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the scallops and sear the other side, about 2 minutes.

Mound one-fourth of the rice in the center of each (warmed) plate. Arrange one-fourth of the scallops around each mound of rice. Accompany with lemon wedges, if desired.

Yum!