Try it and you might just like it!

In an effort to eat healthier, I've lately found my shopping cart filled with items that I don't purchase on a regular basis, scallops being one of them.  I've probably eaten scallops only twice in my life because they don't rank very high on my list of seafoods that I enjoy.  That's not to say that I entirely dislike them, it's just that I don't think about preparing them very often.  That's about to change. 

I recently learned that a three ounce serving of steamed scallops packs a whopping 22 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat.  They also have omega-3 fatty acids and are loaded with vitamins and minerals ~ magnesium, zinc, phosporous, and B-12 just to name a few.  It's so hard to know these days if what we are eating is, in fact, good for us but that sounds pretty darn healthy, don't you think?

I prepared this  scallop recipe for my Charlotte Healthy Food Examiner column (What?! You didn't realize those awesome articles were coming from me??) and even though I've never been much for curry, I enjoyed it enough that I'll start looking for other ways to use a little bit of curry in my recipes. I guess we just never really know if our tastes have changed unless we keep trying things. 

This recipe for Lemon Caper Scallops from Rachael Ray is quick and easy and only dirties up one pan which is my kind of cooking on a busy weekday evening.  The combination of simple ingredients created a rich and delicious satisfying meal and granted the 1 gram of fat from the scallops was offset by adding the butter, but when I realized that I had only eaten 5 scallops and was completely full, I was okay with that.  I'd rather have added fat from a natural substance like butter instead of  margarine which is highly synthesized and in no way natural because our body does need a source of some fat in the diet.  I had picked up some tomatoes from the farmers' market earlier in the week and served a lovely salad caprese along with this.  A heathy, unprocessed meal! 

Discover (or rediscover) the easiness and deliciousness of scallops with these recipes and keep stepping outside the box by trying foods you haven't in awhile....you may just surprise yourself!

Lemon Caper Scallops
Every Day with Rachael Ray, May 2012

10 large scallops 
5 tablespoons butter 
1 large lemon, peeled, 4 segments chopped and remainder juiced 
2 tablespoons capers, drained 
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Season scallops. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium-high. Add scallops; cook until golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to plate. Brown remaining butter. Add remaining ingredients; season. Spoon over scallops.