Light Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Quinoa Skillet is an easy one pot dinner idea loaded with healthy tropical flavors. Quinoa, shrimp, pineapple and unsweetened coconut make up this flavorful and delicious dish for a healthy meal everyone will love.

Light Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Quinoa Skillet

Name: Light Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Quinoa Skillet
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined; 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp minced garlic; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 1/2 c. uncooked quinoa; 1 1/2 c. light coconut milk; 1 c. water; 2 c. pineapple (diced); 2/3 c. green onions (diced); zest and juice from a 1/2 lime; 1/4 c. cilantro (finely diced (+ extra for garnish)); 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut chips (toasted (optional))

Over Easter weekend, I put myself in charge of cooking…to the dismay of some of my family. They don’t like things outside of “the box” you guys, so they are always worried about what I make and fussing along the way. Despite my mother’s reservations, she will always happily accept my office to cook if it means she doesn’t have to.

I didn’t want to take them too far out of their comfort zones, so sadly I didn’t prepare this Light Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Quinoa Skillet for them. For lunch on Saturday I went with tostadas which are always a crowd pleaser. I opted for a new chipotle beef and refried bean version as well as these Buffalo Chicken Tostadas, sans sweet corn, seeing it isn’t in season yet.

Once everyone realized they were being fed glorified tacos, they chilled out and gobbled up the food! I will share the chipotle beef tostadas soon, I promise, because they are one of my favorite new meals!

After easing everyone into a classic meal and having them let their guards down, I decided to hit them with some serious flavors for dinner that evening. 😀

I opted for a more tropical spin on this particular meal. For the main dish, I served these Roasted Jalapeño, Pineapple & Chicken Tenders and for a side dish I made this awesome Coconut Rice from A Family Feast. The rice dish was fantastic, and I loved the flavor combo of coconut milk, lime and pineapple. So fresh and delicious!

The chicken tenders are a favorite meal of mine, but they went a bit left this particular evening. My mom picked up a fresh pineapple to use for the meal and she ended up buying the hardest pineapple with absolutely no flavor ever. I was disappointed and in panic mode, so I decided on a whim that canned pineapple rings would be a better options with more flavor. Not so much…

The chicken tenders were completely lacking without the great sweetness and flavor from fresh pineapple. This along with the fact that I got distracted and overcooked them, which dried out the chicken, made them a serious flop. Ugh, you guys, seriously, please know that I screw up meals all the time. You are NOT alone! I promise, if you follow this recipe accurately though, they will be seriously delicious.

All in all, the real win for me during that dinner was this Coconut Rice. The flavor combo inspired me to make this Light Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Quinoa Skillet. This is a full meal deal in a skillet that is on the healthier side. Succulent shrimp add protein to the dish and the quinoa adds a nutty and healthy bite. The unsweetened coconut chips on the top are optional, but I really found that they added a great amount of flavor and texture to the final meal. I would highly recommend them!

Not only does this make for a light and delicious dinner, it is perfect for packing up leftovers for easy lunches!

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5 from 1 vote