How To Turn A Pineapple Into The Ultimate Savory And Sweet Dishes

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Fresh pineapple makes you feel like you’re on a beach somewhere, unplugged and carefree. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you’re eating pineapple. You could cube it up and eat it solo, but where’s the fun in that? Get yourself a juicy pineapple and start cooking.

Pineapple Slaw

For a fruity slaw to top your tacos with, add fresh pineapple to the mix. This spicy pineapple slaw has jalapeños and Fresno chile with a mix of red and green cabbage and lime juice. For something even fruitier, try this pineapple slaw with watermelon. Add the sweet slaw to your fish tacos, veggie burger or just eat it straight out of the bowl.

Grilled Pineapple Salad

Grill or no grill, you owe it to yourself to taste pineapple with a little bit of char. You’ll get some smoky notes to contrast with the sweetness. When you don’t feel like adding any meat to a salad, try going the pineapple route instead. Whether it’s a grilled pineapple and avocado salad or a grilled mango and pineapple salad, you’ll be a happy camper.

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Pineapple Salsa

Any kind of tropical fruit salsa is usually a winner at the dinner table. With ripe pineapple in the picture, you’ll be in good shape. Go for a pineapple salsa with red pepper, cilantro, red onion and jalapeño. For a photo-ready salsa recipe, serve it in a hollowed out pineapple. You could go at it with a bag of chips or top your pork tenderloin with a bunch of the sweet salsa. Add a few grilled shrimp to the menu and you’ll have yourself some killer tacos. Force your friends to wear Hawaiian shirts and you’ll be all ready for a tropical dinner party.

Caramelized Pineapple

Martha Stewart knows what’s up when it comes to caramelized pineapple. It’s an easy party trick that’ll count as your dessert. Even better, it’ll only take you about 20 minutes to make. All you need is pineapple, softened butter and sugar. Heat up the butter in the pan, coat the pineapple slices with sugar, add the slices to the pan and cook until all sides are golden brown. Add the caramelized pineapple to a yogurt and granola bowl or use it as a topping for your favorite ice cream.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Next time you have friends over for dinner, make a Thai pineapple fried rice. You’ll need fresh pineapple, eggs, red pepper, green onions, cashews, jasmine rice, sriracha, tamari and lime. It’s better to have the rice chilled rather than room temperature or fresh out of the pot. Between the tangy, the sweet, the crunchy and the umami, you’ll have all of your flavor bases covered with this Thai-style dish.

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Pineapple Sundae

As long as you have vanilla ice cream, pineapple and some kind of sweet sauce, you’re ready for a sundae. This grilled pineapple sundae uses the pineapple as a vessel for the ice cream. You have a grilled slice of pineapple on the bottom with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of dulce de leche sauce and shredded coconut on top. If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, you can caramelize the pineapple instead.

Pineapple Pancakes

We’ll start our morning with pineapple pancakes any day. Try these pineapple pancakes with dark rum and brown sugar when you’re feeling like having dessert for breakfast. You can also chop up the pineapple into little pieces and scatter them throughout the pancake batter just like you would blueberries or chocolate chips.

Pineapples are packed with savory and sweet possibilities. It’s time to live your best tropical life! 

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