Eat it the way you found it: Pineapple

I think fruit gets unfairly ignored as a legitimate dinner side dish.  You and your kids need 2-3 servings per day...will dinner put you over that mark?

When fresh pineapple is on sale, do as much as you can with it!  It's delicious as is, or chopped finely and mixed into rice.  Or GRILL IT.  Oh jah.  A little butter-lime-rum marinade and lordy, stand back!  After you cut off the stem, top and peel, slice it into 1/2" slices and use a small biscuit cutter to take out the core for grill-ready slices.

Don't throw out the peel and core...for grownups, put all extra parts in a 2 quart pitcher with a 750-ml bottle of vodka for 7 days and strain.  You're very, very welcome.  Or use the same parts to create "fruit-infused water" for drinking plain or, check this, making kick-butt naturally sweetened iced tea.  Again, you're welcome!

Grilled Pineapple Rings
Makes 6 servings

1/4 cup butter, melted

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp rum

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2" thick

Whisk together butter, lime juice and rum.  Dip each pineapple slice into marinade and cook 3 minutes per side on hot grill.  For cross-hatch grill marks, cook 2 minutes, then turn each slice 90 degrees and cook for another minute.  Flip and repeat. 

Pineapple Fruit Tea

Makes 3 1/2 quarts

Trimmings from 1 pineapple (peels, core)

12 tea bags (green, black or herbal)

3 1/2 quarts water, divided

Add peel and core to 6 cups warm water, let stand 24 hours. 

Boil 8 cups water and add tea bags.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Remove tea bags and stir in pineapple water.  Chill before serving. Pin It