Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Today marked the first day of cooking recipes from my Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2006. You might remember my bad review of the book from a few days ago, as it's not organized very well and there aren't enough pictures for my liking. However, if the rest of the week's recipes turn out as well as last night's.. then it's a keeper for sure and I'll apologize to the powers that be regarding my first impression. I might even subscribe to the magazine. Yep, the Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp was AWESOME. A lot of chopping and prep work, but well worth it. Also, my first taste of mango - as well as using it in a savory recipe. Hella Good. =) The only two changes I made to the recipe was substituting chicken stock for the coconut milk, because Hubbs hates coconut. And substituting 1 of the 4 tsp. of curry with hot curry. (Go me!) I also used their suggestion of trying it with Basmati rice. Again, a new ingredient for me. I happened to see it a few weeks ago and picked up a jar of it for shites and giggles. The combination of the grilled, tender, slightly spicey shrimp and the sweet, tangy rice was just fabulous. The mango, cilantro and lime juice lent a tropical feel to the dish that I've never experienced before. This was a dinner that was completely out of our range - something light and exotic for us. Hubbs wasn't thrilled with the mango in the rice, but I really didn't think he'd like it in the first place. I don't care though.. I loved it and will most definitely make this dish again - maybe at our next party. Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp Courtesy of Cooking Light's Annual Recipes 2006 4 tsp. curry powder (I subbed 1 tsp. of reg. curry with hot curry) 1 TBS. minced, fresh garlic 1 TBS. minced, peeled, fresh ginger 1 TBS. low-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce) 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper ('kay I left this out because of the hot curry addition and I was ah-scared) 1/8 tsp. ground cumin 1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (About 36 shrimp) 2 c. water 2/3 c. light coconut milk (I used 2 2/3 c. chicken stock in place of the water and coconut milk) 1 1/4 c. uncooked long-grain rice (I used basmati) 2 c. diced, peeled mango (About 2 mangos) 1 1/2 c. diced red bell pepper 3/4 c. shredded carrot 1/2 c. sliced green onions 2 TBS. fresh lime juice 1 TBS. chopped, fresh cilantro 1 TBS. chopped, fresh parsley 1/2 tsp. salt Cooking spray (I used olive oil for extra flavor) Cilantro sprigs (optional) Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour. Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan, add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add mango and next 7 ingredients, toss gently to combine. Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Thread 3 shrimp onto each of 12 (6 inch) skewers. (I threaded 6-8 shrimp on my long 12 inch skewers.. Because really? Why the hell would I want to have all those skewers?) Place skewers on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray (I brushed the shrimp lightly with olive oil before grilling), grill 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Serve skewers over salad. (I took the shrimp off the skewers as you can see in the pic - easier to make a glutton out of yourself when you don't have to fiddle with sticks, eh?) Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Yield 6 servings (serving size: 2 skewers and about 1 c. salad) *Note: I followed the recipe without thinking and we had a boatload of rice left over. Unfortunately way too much rice for just me to enjoy, so if there are only two of you, cut the salad recipe by at least half. As for the shrimp.. if you are like us, you can never have too many shrimp to nibble on :D