Sauteed Shrimp with Spinach, Couscous, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts

From the moment I saw the recipe for Shrimp, Kale and Spinach with Couscous, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts on Florida Coastal Cooking, I knew it would be something I had to make very soon, and that my husband would absolutely love it. And I was right. In the first few bites alone, Sage proclaimed it as both "awesome" and "phenomenal." And other than "the leaves," my toddler devoured it as well. And since this had feta, spinach and couscous in it, I don't need to tell you how much I enjoyed it.

I got a much later start on dinner than I intended, but luckily once you've got your shrimp peeled, your pine nuts toasted, and your ingredients prepped, this comes together in a matter of minutes. I think dinner was ready in about 20 minutes or so from start to finish, although you'd never guess by the taste of it. I did make a couple small changes, eliminating the kale and increasing the spinach (Sage isn't a big kale fan) and omitting the white wine. I was worried it might be lacking without the wine, but the dressing the shrimp was in gave it plenty of flavor.

If you would like to see the original with the kale and wine, please visit Dawn's blog. She also has tons of other wonderful recipes (all with gorgeous pictures) worth checking out. I have loved every recipe of hers I've tried.

Sauteed Shrimp with Spinach, Couscous, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts
slightly adapted from Florida Coastal Cooking

1 lb wild-caught shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
Italian or Greek dressing, to cover shrimp (I used roughly 1/4 cup worth of Roasted Red Pepper Italian)
1 cup water or broth
2/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 tsp olive oil
olive oil mister or cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped (Dawn used a Vidalia, I used half of a yellow and half of a red)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
8 cups loosely packed baby spinach
1 tsp red wine vinegar
fresh ground pepper
handful of toasted pine nuts
reduced fat feta cheese, for serving

Place shrimp in a medium bowl and cover with dressing. Toss to coat.

In a medium saucepan, bring water/broth to a boil and stir in couscous and oil. Cover and remove from heat.

Mist olive oil (or cooking spray) on a large, straight-sided skillet and heat over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. (If needed, you can add a few tbsps of water or broth to keep them from sticking.) Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add shrimp with the dressing to the pan and cook for about a minute and until the first side begins to turn pink. Turn over and cook for an additional few minutes, until cooked through. Remove from heat.

Stir in spinach until wilted slightly. Fluff couscous and add to spinach and shrimp mixture. Season red wine vinegar and fresh ground pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Top each serving with some of the pine nuts and a tbsp or two of crumbled feta.