Spicy Barbecue Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers

It is 8pm, and I am laying side ways across my bed, soaking up the fact that I have nowhere to be and no reason to go to bed early or to say up late. The last week in Ecuador has been nothing short of amazing, but to get all of that goodness into 4 days, you must go go go!

The last week I have been eating my fair share of seafood, while I can: Ceviche de Camarones, Tilapia Frito, Crovina Asado. Mejillones, almejas, y pargo. (Shrimp ceviche, fried tilapia, grilled sea bass. Mussels, clams, and red snapper). One would think I'd be done with it by now, ready for a hot burger or a sizzling chicken breast but I am not. Bring on the fresh shellfish! How lucky am I to travel all this way to dine like this? 

And it's not just seafood of course: it's fruit too. We ate a grapefruit straight from a tree, and munched on fresh cacao fruit from a purple-ish red pod. We sipped coconut water, ate passion fruit and passed field after field of pineapples.

This dish has a bit of everything going for it: the best of both worlds. The two ingredients I saw the most of the last week: succulent shrimp and sweet pineapple. Slathered in BBQ sauce for a North American twist. A splash of hot sauce--ají- to give it some zip.

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Spicy Barbecue Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers

Published June 13, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Spicy barbecue sauce is the perfect compliment to sweet pineapple! Perfect for the grill, but can be cooked in your oven, too.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined 
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce of choice
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (depending on spice preferences)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed into bite-sized pieces 
• Metal or wooden skewers

Directions:

1. Mix together melted coconut oil, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce in a small bowl.
2. In the morning, place shrimp in a ziplock bag for marinating. Pour 1/2 of barbecue sauce mixture into bag over shrimp, and toss the shrimp to coat them in the sauce. Close the bag, and place in fridge for 4-6 hours, or until ready to cook. Reserve the rest of the sauce for using after cooking.
3. Assemble: use metal skewers or wooden kabob sticks and skewer shrimp and cubes of fresh pineapple in an alternating pattern.
4. Turn your oven to the Broil setting and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, until shrimp are opaque and pink, and starting to brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Note: You may also cook the skewers on a grill. Light your grill and bring it to high heat. Cook skewers for 2 minutes and the flip, cooking for 2 additional minutes or until shrimp are opaque and starting to char.
5. Serve over a bead of rice or cauliflower rice.

Jicama-Pineapple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Are you ever so brain dead after work that you pull into your drive way and realize you just listened to the public radio pledge drive the whole way home? Or worse, a solid 20 minutes of commercials? And by listen, I mean you actually heard every word...you just couldn't think enough to care or change the station? This is me, all the time.

On the other hand, some days I get in the car and hear the news start, and immediately have to just turn it off. No more words, too many words! Peace and quiet is all I can handle on those days.  

These are the days I want to come home to dinner already prepped and ready to go: zero effort, just delicious satisfaction on a plate so that I can do nothing more than relax. 

Lately, we've been getting home pretty late, after we manage to leave the office and hit the gym. Like 8:30pm. When I get home at 8:30pm, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner... By the time 9pm hits, I'd rather be in bed than pulling something from the oven or dishing something onto a plate! 

Anyways, it's made me want to start planning ahead of time, by loading up the slow cooker with Korean Pork or Enchilada Beef in the morning. When I'm doing really well, I'll even prep a side dish while I'm making breakfast or packing lunches--something that will stay fresh if it's stored in the fridge all day. This Jicama-Pineapple Slaw is perfect for these days, because the jicama and carrots stay crisp and fresh long after you put everything together. 

You can eat this slaw as a topping for tacos or taco bowls, but you can also just eat it as a salad. Make a big batch! You'll save yourself chopping and planning the next day. 

Jicama-Pineapple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

This slaw works as a topping for tacos or as a salad on it’s own.

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 Jicama (2 cups, chopped into matchsticks)
• 3 large carrots (1 cup chopped into matchsticks)
• 1 mandarin orange or tangerine, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup pineapple, diced
• 1/2 cup minced cilantro
• 1 small jalapeño (or 1/2 large jalapeño), cut into thin slices
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Dash paprika
• Dash granulated garlic (garlic powder)
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Toss jicama, carrots, orange wedges, diced pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a salad bow.
2. Then, whisk together lime juice, honey, olive oil, paprika, granulated garlic, and a dash each of salt & pepper.
3. Drizzle dressing over vegetables, and took until coated.
4. Store in airtight salad until you are ready to eat! Stays good for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

I first discovered this combo at a networking event, at which I spent more time taste-testing all of the appetizers than talking to people. If you know me, you’re probably thinking, “typical.”

That night, after having just a nibble of a salad with cauliflower roasted with curry powder, apple, and fennel, I went home and made my own version of the same thing — one bite was not enough! Since then, I’ve made the recipe several times, tweaking it as I go. Here’s where I ultimately landed: a roasted cauliflower salad with dice apple and thin slices of fennel, tossed with arugula and drizzled with an apple cider vinegar, curry and honey vinaigrette.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to roast. I’m guilty of popping several of the roasted florets into my mouth right as the pan comes out of the oven, still piping hot. It’s super versatile, making it a very good base for this salad, which once dressed is FULL of flavor.

Fennel pairs well with curry vinaigrette because fennel seed is often featured in curry. Fennel bulb is brighter and fresher than fennel seed, and provides a satisfying crunch. Meanwhile, apple is sweet and tangy, a contrast to bitter arugula.

It’s not in the recipe, but occasionally I’ll add a handful of toasted walnuts or pepitas to this salad, too. Nuts go a long way in making a salad feel full!

Unlike most salads, I think of this as cold weather fare. Apples and cauliflower are delicious and easy to find well into late fall, and in the summer I’m not as motivated to turn on my oven to roast a pan of veggies. The curry vinaigrette is warming, and the whole salad goes well with roasted chicken or mahi mahi.

Watch the video below, or keep scrolling for the recipe!

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

Published September 22, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 6   |    Active Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 apples, one diced and one sliced for garnish

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin

4 cups fresh baby arugula

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place cauliflower on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through and edges are browning. Set aside to cool.
3. Make vinaigrette: combine all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar and shake to combine.
4. Assemble salad: place arugula in bowl, and top with cauliflower, apple, and fennel. Drizzle with half of vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette as desired.