I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say I am ready to get back to my regular eating routine after the holidays. This year for my blog I really want to put an emphasis on healthy foods, using my holistic nutrition knowledge. I am also going to be posting more of my own recipes, rather than adapted recipes.

To start the week off, I chose to make some scallops- one of my favourite choices for a lighter meal. Scallops are in low in calories and fat, but contain a fair amount of quality protein. They also contain a high amount of vitamin B12, which is important for me as a vegetarian….although a seafood eating one

These scallops are very easy to make and take only a couple of minutes. If you are using frozen scallops, just thaw them out in the fridge. Fresh or frozen, make sure you dry your scallops thoroughly. If they are wet, they will not pan-fry properly.

Balsamic Glazed Scallops

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• a tablespoon or so of butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• fresh or frozen scallops- I used a 1lb bag of frozen, well thawed and dried
• zest of one lemon
• lemon juice to taste
• olive oil for searing

In a small sauce pan, combine your balsamic vinegar and butter. Let this reduce several minutes, until you have about half of what you started with.

Heat the oil in a saute pan big enough to hold all of your scallops. Salt and pepper your scallops. On medium high heat, add your scallops to the pan and sear for about a minute on each side, depending on the size of your scallops. Once cooked, remove your scallops to drain on paper towels. In a clean, hot pan, add your balsamic reduction and add your scallops to it, let them sizzle together for a few seconds as the glaze sticks. Remove, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and plenty of lemon zest. Enjoy!