Shrimp and Couscous Paella

Adapted from Kitchen Simplicity

Paella is a traditional Spanish dish served with rice, vegetables, and optional meat or seafood. This recipe uses couscous in the place of rice, which creates a delicious form of paella. The recipe also calls for turmeric, which is the spice that gives paella its special flavor. Beware that the spice can stain your kitchen counter or clothing if spilled. Special thanks to one of my best friends, Elisa, for the beautiful plate on which this meal is displayed. She heard we wanted to start collecting fun plates to make our blog pictures more unique, so here's the start of our collection.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 4 garlic gloves, minced
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp
• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 1 bag frozen peas, thawed
• 1 tbsp. light butter
• sliced almonds, to garnish
• dried parsley, to garnish

Directions:

Coat a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray. Saute red pepper until softened. Then add onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Next, stir in broth, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and add shrimp. (If shrimp are cooked, cook for a minute or until shrimp are heated. If shrimp are uncooked, cook for 2-3 minutes.) Leaving broth at a simmer, stir in couscous, peas, and butter. Once butter is melted, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Fluff with a fork if needed. Garnish with almonds and parsley, and serve.

Yield: 5 servings