Grilled Pineapple BBQ Shrimp Kabobs

I'm just gonna say it, grilling season is officially here! Okay, maybe not to everyone. But when it's warm enough to stand outside long enough to grill and the sun is shining, to me, it's grilling season. 

I recently tried Rootz Sauce's amazing sauces, one of which is a pineapple BBQ sauce (yes, you read that right - YUM). I decided to go with this pineapple BBQ idea and make some kabobs, and what better ingredients than shrimp, fresh pineapple, and some yummy veggies.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb uncooked, de-veined, unshelled shrimp
-1 small container of fresh pineapple cubes (or feel free to cut up your own pineapple)
-1 small container of baby Bella mushrooms
-1 small container of cherry tomatoes
-1 red onion, cut into about 1 in chunks
-1 bell pepper, cut into about 1 in chunks
-1/2 cup of Rootz Pineapple BBQ Sauce

(Serves 4-5 people)

Instructions:

1) Marinate the shrimp in the BBQ sauce for at least an hour.
2) Soak your skewers in water for about 30 minutes or more before assembling your kabobs.
3) Preheat your grill and begin to assemble your skewers. Add at least one of each ingredient to a skewer, and double up where desired. I had at least 2 shrimp on each kabob.
4) Toss the kabobs on the grill, cooking for about 3-5 minutes per side. You can slather any additional BBQ sauce (from marinating) right onto the shrimp on the grill.
5) Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

Honesty, these are so simple. The hardest part is assembling the kabobs, and that's more time consuming than difficult. And trust me, it's worth it!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!
 

Spicy Shrimp Fajita Salad

I am probably one of the biggest fajita fans you'll ever meet. If I go to a Mexican restaurant or make my own Mexican food, 9 times out of 10 I'm going with fajitas. They just have such a delicious flavor, and I like that you make them yourself. You can easily skip on or add whatever you like to them. Not feeling the tortilla, just eat the meat and veggies. Not feeling cheese, don't throw it on there. You can make them as healthy (or not) as you'd like.

 Recently I really haven't been in the mood for a salad. Maybe it's the cold weather? Who knows. But I was suddenly really craving one, so I obviously had to hop on the train before it left. I figured why not throw some fajitas on top. Super easy, super delicious, and I get my salad fix.

Here's What You'll Need:

-3 cups of baby kale (or green of your choice)
-1 bell pepper, sliced
-1/2 medium onion, chopped
-6 oz shrimp, cooked
-1/2 avocado, sliced
-1/2 medium tomato, diced
-4 tbsp salsa
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat, add in the garlic, and cook for about a minute.
2) Add in the bell pepper and onion, and let them cook down for about 3-5 minutes.
3) Add in all of the seasonings and the shrimp, and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4) Split the kale between two bowls, top each bowl with the fajita mixture, half of the avocado, half of the tomato, and half of the salsa.
5) Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Garlic Chili Potato Noodles with Collard Greens and BBQ Shrimp

I was literally in the middle of a spin class when I started craving some comfort food. I mean like southern BBQ, potatoes, you name it. So (still in spin class) I started coming up with ideas in my head.

Spiralized sweet potato is always one of my favorites, but spiralized potato is creeping up there. It really goes well with everything. I know it isn't necessarily as healthy, but toss in some other veggies, a light protein, and you have yourself a meal!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 tbsp ghee
-1 potato, peeled and spiralized
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-6 oz cooked shrimp
-1/4 cup BBQ sauce
-4 collard green leaves, chopped
-1/4 cup (heirloom) tomato, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Heat up the ghee in a large skillet at medium high heat, and add in the garlic. Cook for about a minute.
2) Add in the spiralized potato and cook for about 3-5 minutes alone.
3) Add in the chili powder, mixing it around to cover the potato noodles.
4) Add in the collard greens, and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes.
5) In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Toss the shrimp in the BBQ sauce, and throw them in the oven for about 3-5 minutes. The shrimp is already cooked, so you just want the BBQ sauce to coat the shrimp and to warm them up.
6) Add the heirloom tomato, salt, and pepper to the potato noodles. Cook for another minute or two, and remove the pan from heat.
7) Split the potato noodles between two bowls, top each with half of the shrimp, and add additional BBQ sauce as desired. 

 Let me know if you give it a try and what you think in the comments below! It really was the perfect way to satisfy that comfort food craving.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry in a Spicy Ginger Garlic Sauce

So this is one of those "I swear it tastes better than it looks" kind of meals! Winter is a killer when I want to share dinner recipes because non-natural light is, well, ugly. But what can ya do? 

It's Sunday which has commonly been a Chinese takeout night in my family. It's an easy and tasty way to finish up the weekend. So I figured why not save on the money and greasy food and make my own, healthier version?

I started this meal out thinking that I was going to make a stir fry over broccoli stem noodles. But my smaller noodle blade for my spiralizer was in the dishwasher, so I figured I'd just switch it out for the next size, no biggie. WRONG. It literally turned the broccoli stems into something I'd liken to the looks of shaved parmesan cheese. Not really the most aesthetically appealing, and they didn't really pan out to be a good base for the meal. Oh well, again what can ya do? So I just decided to throw them into the stir fry, and put it all over some brown rice instead. 

I think this must have been one of those weird twist of fate mistakes because the shaved broccoli stem pieces were a perfect addition consistency-wise and added a nice crunch like that of a water chestnut. All in all, everything turned out delicious, and the sauce, although spicy, is AMAZING. I might need to put it on everything, just saying.

Here's What You'll Need:

-5 oz cooked shrimp
-1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
-2 bundles of baby bok choy, removed from stem and cleaned
-4 broccoli stems, spiralized with second blade or just sliced very thinly
-1 tbsp olive oil
-3 cloves garlic, minced and separated
-2 tsp sesame oil
-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or Tamari
-2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced (NOT shaved - if you use shaved ginger it will be significantly less than 2 tbsp)
-2 tbsp sriracha (I use Fix Hot Sauce)
-2 tbsp pure cane sugar

Instructions:

1) In a pan over medium high heat, heat up the olive oil. Once hot, add in one clove of garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2) Add in the broccoli stem pieces and cook alone for about 2 minutes.
3) Mix around the broccoli stem pieces, and add in the bell pepper and bok choy. Cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the boy choy is wilted and bell pepper is cooked through.
4) In the meantime, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, remaining garlic, ginger, sriracha, and sugar in a bowl. 
5) Add the shrimp to the pan and top the whole thing with the sauce. Let cook for another 2- 3 minutes, mixing regularly.
6) Split the stir fry between two bowls, and enjoy!

I served mine over about 1/2 cup of brown rice, and it was perfect. Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

 

Shrimp Cobb Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Shrimp has been one of my favorite foods since I was a little kid. It has a nice flavor, provides protein, and is still light and low calorie.

I knew that I had shrimp at home and was really feeling a nice salad. I started going over the things I had in my fridge and literally couldn't think of anything. Then I thought about the bacon I randomly had leftover from a couple days ago (random because I never buy bacon). Shrimp wrapped bacon? That sounds delicious but not exactly what I was looking for.

I sifted through the limited other ingredients I had lying around, and each one fit perfectly into a summer-inspired lighter cobb salad. Instead of heavy bleu cheese or ranch, I could make a nice citrus vinaigrette and cut out the cheese.

Here's What You'll Need:

For the Salad:
-4 cups of baby spinach
-10 cherry tomatoes cut into thirds
-1/2 avocado, chopped
-1 ear of corn, kernels removed from cob (or 1 small can of corn, drained)
-2 slices of bacon
-2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
-6 oz shrimp
-1/4 tsp of paprika
-salt and pepper to taste

For the Dressing:
-The juice of one lemon
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp white wine vinegar
-1/2 clove garlic, minced
-1/8 tsp oregano
-salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) If you haven't already, cook your bacon slices in a pan or microwave until they are crispy, and chop them into small pieces.
2) If you haven't already, hard boil your eggs (you may also buy them already cooked). Chopped up the eggs.
3) Add the paprika, salt, and pepper to your shrimp and cook on a grill or in a pan on the stove. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, I still suggest adding the seasoning and just heating up the shrimp a bit using either method.
4) You can either add all the ingredients into one large bowl or split ingredients in half and serve separately.
5) Mix together the dressing ingredients, add to the salad(s), and enjoy!

If you are hesitant about the dressing, please try it! It is seriously delicious in the salad. It balances so well with the egg, shrimp, and bacon and gives just that extra bit of added flavor to this meal. Let me know what you think, and feel free to subscribe below!