I found balance in a rice bowl.  My everyday life be damned, balance eludes me, just like the runner’s high, never quite fast or far enough to reach bliss.  But.  Yet.  This rice bowl has balance: fresh, tender shrimp roasted until just pink resting on top of warm rice, topped with a sweet and crunchy roasted pineapple salsa, smothered in a silky, rich avocado cream sauce and garnished  with a heavy handful of fresh cilantro and scallions.

Perfection, bliss and balance in a bite.

Roasted Shrimp Rice Bowl with Roasted Pineapple Salsa and Avocado Cream Sauce

Serves 2 generously, 4 as a light meal

Roasted Pineapple Salsa recipe adapted from Epicurious

Roasted Shrimp Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

**Start rice first, as it may take awhile  While rice is cooking prepare salsa and avocado cream sauce.  Set aside.  Lastly, roast shrimp.  I like the shrimp added to the rice bowl fresh from the oven, room temperature is fine, as well.**

Ingredients for roasted pineapple salsa:

2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped into cubes of equal size

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped (leave seeds in if you want a spicy salsa)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 orange pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced

handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lime

Sea Salt, to taste

Directions:

Toss cut pineapple with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt.  Roast at 400F until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.  While the pineapple is roasting, finely chop jalapeno pepper and red onion.  Place in a small bowl.  Dice orange pepper, add to bowl.  Add the juice of 1 lime, sea salt and handful of cilantro.  Stir gently.  Remove pineapple from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Once cool, roughly chop roasted pineapple.  Add to bowl and stir gently.  Add more sea salt, if needed. Allow to sit at room temperature,  while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Ingredients for avocado cream sauce:

1 avocado

1/2 cup Greek yogurt ( I used 2%.)

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper. to taste

juice of 1 lime

pinch of garlic powder

Directions:

Remove avocado from skin, discard stone.  Place in a medium bowl and mash avocado with fork or potato masher until most of the lumps are gone.  Add 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, juice of 1 lime and a pinch of garlic powder.  Mix together with a spoon.  (If you want the avocado cream super silky, mix in a blender until completely smooth.)  Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Store in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator until ready to use.  The avocado cream will last for several days.

Ingredients for shrimp:

1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Directions for shrimp:

Pre-heat your oven to 400F.  Toss shrimp with a heavy drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Place on a sheet pan in an even layer and roast until the shrimp is just pink, about 8-10 minutes.  Set aside.

Additional ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice, cooked according to rice cooker’s instructions)

3 green onions, finely sliced

cilantro

Assembly!

Place rice in bowls.  Top with roasted shrimp, salsa and avocado cream.  Garnish with green onion and cilantro.  Sprinkle on a bit of sea salt, if desired.  Enjoy!

5 Rice Bowl Links You Must Check Out!

When I crave something healthy and vegetarian I head to one of my favorite food blogs, Cookie + Kate.  Check out Kate’s recipe for spicy sweet potato and green rice burrito bowl. It is delicious!

I made Iowa Girl Eats crock pot mojo pork with Cuban style black beans at a recent family gathering and it was a huge hit!

California dreamin’ today? Head to Half Baked Harvest for California chicken, veggie and avocado rice bowl.  If you can’t live there, at least you can eat like a Californian.

Love Korean food?  Check out Sandra’s Easy Cooking vegetarian mixed rice bowl or bibimbap.  I wish this would magically appear in front me right now.

If you love teriyaki, head to Foodie Crush for a 7 spice teriyaki chicken rice bowl recipe. Delicious!