Lemon Parmesan Quinoa with Seared Scallops

I promised myself I would be more diligent at posting to my blog in 2014, but I was reminded at how completely horrible I am at keeping New Years' resolutions. Rather than set unrealistic expectations for the year, knowing that if history continued to repeat itself I would give up within a few weeks, I decided this year to forgo the New Years' resolution practice. Instead of giving myself an official start date of January 1 and something so official as a resolution, I decided that I would rather give myself goals for changes in my life.

Changes in your life and your lifestyle don't simply happen overnight. I think this is a huge contender for why resolutions don't last. People expect to change some part of their life beginning January 1, and as soon as something doesn't fall into this plan, rather than just trying again or continuing to try, we give up on the goal completely.

That being said, while I would *like* to post my recipes and cooking endeavors more consistently, I know that I have never been diligent at such a practice. I love to cook, and I love to write, but I don't always feel like combining the two. Rather than completely giving up on this, I will continue to try. I know that it's already the end of January and I haven't added anything since before Thanksgiving, but I'm not ready to give up something that brings me joy. I love cooking, I love cooking for people, and I love sharing my cooking with anyone who is around.

Now that you've made it through my soliloquy, you have earned a recipe.

This was such a simple and wonderful dish. I had tried several recipes with seared scallops before, but this was the first time I combined it with quinoa. I know some people don't like quinoa, but I just love it. It's like a blank slate, ready to absorb any flavors you lend. I enjoyed the quinoa so much, I made a whole batch the following week to take as my lunches to work. It was a welcome, fragrant, delicious, lemony change.

Lemon Parmesan Quinoa with Seared Scallops
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 lemon
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt, pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
12-18 scallops (3 per person)

1. Rinse quinoa in cold water. Cook as directed on the package (usually, bring to a boil on stove with 2 cups water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes).

2. Once the quinoa is cooked, add the zest and juice from the lemon, green onions, onion powder, garlic powder, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops. Cook for 3 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional three minutes or until browned.

4. Serve scallops over quinoa. Garnish with additional parmesan.

Serves: 4-6