Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs

Except for my last night in Long Beach, we ate "in" but actually ate out -- under the stars on the terrace.  The first day I was there Meghan and I went to Vons, a local grocery store.  They had a nice selection of fish which was great because Meghan doesn't eat meat and we all love seafood.  So I bought twelve of the largest shrimp they had, raw but cleaned with shells on, and then picked up a yellow pepper, some grape tomatoes, half a fresh pineapple, and baby red onions.  Combined with fresh broccoli, a home-made sweet and sour sauce, and some confetti rice, these grilled shrimp kabobs made a beautiful meal.  We sat outdoors at a patio table, with candle light, and were all very happy with the delicious dinner before us.

SHRIMP and PINAPPLE KABOBS (makes 6)
Serves 3 (2 kabobs per person)

12 large shrimp, raw, cleaned, shells removed, tails on
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 yellow pepper, cut in chunks
Half a fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into large chunks
grape tomatoes
peeled baby red onions or wedges of red onion
Sweet and sour sauce for garnish (recipe below)

Soak wooden skewers in water for half an hour before grilling.

Toss shrimp in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Let it hang out for a few minutes until you are ready to assemble the skewers.

Assemble skewers:  In whatever order you like, alternate red onion, yellow pepper, tomato, pineapple, shrimp (like a "C" on the skewer), and repeat so you have two sets of each item on each skewer.

Confetti rice:  Cook as much rice as you intend to serve -- for this recipe, enough for 4 people.  Set aside.  Grate 1 carrot and saute with 2 tablespoons chopped onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil until softened.  Add a couple tablespoons each of chopped yellow pepper, chopped pineapple.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir into cooked rice and let it heat up together for a few minutes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup orange or pineapple juice

Stir together.  Bring to a bubbling boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Place in bowl and serve alongside rice and skewers.

Grill kabobs:  Grill 3 minutes per side until shrimp is opaque and turns pink.  Turn off heat and close cover and cook one minute longer with residual heat.

That's it!

Photo credit: http://www.lawrys.com/~/media/Images/Sites/Lawrys/RecipeDetail/Main-Dish/Chipotle-Shrimp-Pineapple-Kabobs.ashx?w=240