Spinach Salad with Scallops, Bacon, and Cider Vinaigrette

I'd about given up on Cooking Light recipes but they may have won me back with this one. Both my girls loved it and it went together quickly and easily. I used frozen bay scallops rather than the larger sea scallops and just cooked them a bit less. I think it would be better with the larger scallops but the cost was nearly double.

Notes: I used apple juice rather than cider and didn't have a shallot so just chopped up a bit more red onion instead. They say it serves 4. I made it with just enough scallops for the 3 of us and had just a bit of spinach left over so if you've got hearty eaters, I'm not sure about the "serves 4."

1 cup apple cider
2 tsp sugar
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup finely chopped onion or shallots
1 Tbs cider vinegar
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/3 tsp black pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thinly (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup red onion, sliced thinly
6 ounces raw spinach leaves
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
2 tsp olive oil

Pour the apple cider or juice in a small saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, until it's reduced to 1/4 cup or so. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp, then lay on paper towels. Pour off the fat but leave about 1 tsp in the pan to cook the 1/4 cup chopped onion in. Cook until soft, just a minute or two. Pour the reserved cider mix from above into the pan. Add the cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper. Stir. This is your dressing.

Chop or crumble the cooked bacon. In a large bowl, put the spinach, bacon, apple slices, and red onion slices. Toss together. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.

In a small bowl, mix the last 1/2 tsp salt and the curry powder. Sprinkle this over the scallops. Heat the 2 tsp oil in the skillet and cook the scallops over medium high heat until done. (3 minutes per side for the larger ones; less than that for the small ones.)

Divide the salad among 4 plates and top each with 1/4 of the scallops.