Grilled Shrimp with Spinach & Feta Cheese

Just as I was getting used to the cold weather and comfort foods, Indian Summer made it's appearance and set me to thinking about Gulf breezes, boardwalks, lazy summer nights and the grill. I spent the earlier part of this week in Times Square and sampled some grilled shrimp that was served with a spring mix salad and feta cheese so decided to try to recreate the dish - - with fantastic results.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. medium raw shrimp (peeled and deveined) or large if you have the budget
• 1 bunch or large bag of baby spinach
• Enough feta cheese for crumbling
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil (I prefer 100% Kalamata for best flavor) + 1 tablespoon for drizzling
• 1 - 2 TBSP Minced garlic (or to taste)
• Generous amount of cracked black pepper
• A shake or two of Italian seasoning mix (go easy if yours contain salt)

You will also need:

• Skewers for the shrimp unless you buy the large ones
• Dinner plates that are oven safe.

How-to:

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat
• Preheat oven to 300-degrees
• Place oven safe dinner plates in the oven
• Peel/devein the shrimp and place on the skewers
• Combine olive oil, minced garlic, cracked pepper, and Italian spices. Let stand 5 minutes
• Brush shrimp with olive oil mixture.
• Place shrimp on grill for 3-4 minutes turning once. They should be pink and have nice grill marks. You may need to leave them on a little longer.
• Remove plates from oven (hot!) just before shrimp come off the grill.
• Rinse and dry baby spinach (can be slightly damp)
• Drizzle a little plain olive oil on the plates and then add baby spinach -- if the plates are hot enough it will cook the spinach to perfection.
• Add desired number of shrimp to plates as they come off the grill.
• Crumble a small amount (to taste) of feta cheese over the top.
• Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Let me know how you like it!