Island Yumminess!

I'm Back, I'm Back! I really am back! Okay, so I took a bit of a sabbatical, but I'm back with a vengence! For today at least. What I have for you here is just some plain yumminess on a stick! I found this recipe when I was planning a get-together with kabobs. I will definitely be repeating this recipe over and over! Oh, and if you are wondering where all my pictures went from my other posts??? Long story, I'll get them back up soon enough! For now, enjoy this next recipe!

Shrimp, Pepper, and Mango Kabobs

2 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup lime juice

2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

2-3 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

sweet onion, bell pepper, and mango-kabob ready

Whisk together ingredients for marinade, add shrimp, and refrigerate for about an hour. Remove shrimp from marinade and if desired, boil the remaining marinade for basting or dipping. Thread shrimp, onion, bell pepper, and mango onto wooden skewers. Grill 4-6 minutes, until shrimp turn pink.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced

1 can crushed pineapple, including juice

1 red bell pepper, diced

zest and juice of 1 lime

1-2 tbsp chopped pineapple mint (can use regular mint or cilantro if preferred)

Combine all ingredients and use over citrus rice, chicken, or seafood

Citrus Rice

(I've posted this recipe before, but here it is again with a few modifications)

Jasmine Rice

chicken broth

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 tbsp minced onion

olive oil

chopped pineapple sage (again, use cilantro or regular mint if preferred)

zest and juice of 1 lime

Saute onion in oil until soft and transparent; continue cooking rice according to package directions, adding chicken broth to the sauteed onion mixture in place of water. When rice is done cooking, add pineapple sage and lime zest and juice, stir, and re-cover.

Enjoy each of these dishes separately, or do what I did and mix them all together! No matter how you eat them, I promise, they will make you feel as though you are on a tropical island vacation!

Shrimp & Veggie Pasta

This isn't much of an exciting recipe, but it is so easy and so delicious, I had to share. The beauty of this dish is that it's quick, healthy, and you can pretty much use whatever meat or vegetables you want!

Get your pasta water on the stove before you begin, that way the cooked pasta won't have to wait long for it's friends :-)

Cooked pasta of choice-I like to use linguine

Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

Red onion, sliced into strips

Yellow pepper, sliced into strips

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Shrimp, deveined and tails off (thawed if frozen)

2-3 tbls butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Add the pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Heat olive oil in a saute pan, add the veggies except tomatoes, and stir fry until crisp tender. Remove from pan. Add the butter and heat over medium until melted. Add the minced garlic and shrimp, cook until shrimp are just pink. Return the veggies to the pan, with the tomatoes, and stir until everything is coated and tomatoes are warmed through. Pour cooked pasta onto a platter or pasta bowl, top with shrimp veggie mixture, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if you want! So yummy and simple!