Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple

"The shrimp is on the barbie." Yeah, I really said it. Out loud. And was (rightfully) mocked for it. But since "Dumb and Dumber" is one of my favorite movies, I've always wanted to say that line and actually mean it. Which means (if you can read between the lines), I fired up my Weber and grilled shrimp for dinner tonight.

Tonight's menu was grilled teriyaki shrimp with pineapple over pine nut/scallion brown rice and grilled veggies on the side. Sounds fancy, right? WRONG - it was so simple and the prep was super short.

I originally had the best intentions of making my own teriyaki sauce...but the convenience of Trader Joe's got to me and I purchased this "Island Soyaki" instead. Really, the ingredients in this marinade are nearly identical to the recipe I was going to make anyways - ingredients from the label: soy sauce, sugar, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy oil, sesame seeds, fresh garlic, dried onion, fresh ginger, garlic granules, sesame oil, onion powder, ginger powder. Not bad! I can pronounce AND identify each ingredient.

Then I splurged and got the peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp from Coastal Seafoods to mask my un-homemade marinade.

I also hit up TJ's for their awesome brown rice medley (which I've used before - it's got brown rice, black barley, and daikon radish seeds - nutty, crunchy, and delish!). Then I jazzed up the rice by adding toasted pine nuts and green onions.

I needed some more veg on the side so I grilled up zucchini, yellow squash, and red pepper simply dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. About 5 minutes on each side was all it took.

That's pretty much it - easy peasy! And, if you don't have a charcoal grill, use an indoor grill pan or broiler and you'll get pretty much the same delicious result!

Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple

3/4 cup Island Soyaki marinade from Trader Joe's

1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into bit-sized chunks

Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes. Put shrimp and marinade in zip top bag, shake to coat, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Thread shrimp and pineapple on wooden skewers. Grill on medium-hot grill 2-3 minutes on each side or until pink and firm.

Serve over brown rice (recipe follows).

Brown Rice with Pine Nuts and Scallions

1 cup brown rice medley (from Trader Joe's)

2.5 cups water

1 vegetarian bouillon cube

1 cup toasted pine nuts (or peanuts or cashews)

1 cup chopped green onions

Boil water. Add rice and bouillon cube and return to boil. Simmer covered for 35 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add nuts and green onions. Cover and let sit until shrimp is finished grilling.

Serve with additional grilled veggies (preferably green ones!)