Spicy Shrimp with Grilled Pineapple & Coconut Rice Pilaf

I make this meal in this order: Start by cooking the rice, start the grill, chop the pineapple, spice the shrimp, grill the pineapple and shrimp, stir in coconut and almonds to rice, serve.

For the shrimp: mix all ingredients together into a bowl and stir shrimp to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill. To cook, place shrimp onto a preheated hot grill. (If you have smaller shrimp, it might be easier to skewer them and grill them that way.) Cook shrimp about 2 minutes per side or until they turn pink and opaque. Remove from grill.

For the pineapple: Cut pineapple into large chunks. (You can also skewer the pineapple to make turning them easier.) Grill to your liking. (I like mine to have a few grill marks at least!) Remove from the grill.

For the rice: Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice, bay leaf, salt and pepper until every grain is coated in butter. Stir and cook about 1 minute. Pour in chicken broth and sugar. Stir and cover. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer until liquid has been completely absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and almonds. Serve warm.

To assemble, place rice on your plate and top with shrimp, pineapple and chopped cilantro.