Grilled Shrimp & Sausage with Zucchini Noodles

I decided on this meal tonight because a) it was nice enough outside to grill and b) I randomly decided I wanted to eat these ingredients together.  This meal was kind of an invention of my own based on recipes I have seen/used in the past. It was a really nice spring/summer time meal, was pretty light, and the best part- there was NO indoor cooking of any kind!  Gotta love easy cleanup.  This was the first time I tried making zucchini noodles, and I would say it was a success!  They weren't the prettiest or all the same size/shape, but they tasted great and I really liked the texture and consistency.  So, here is what I did:

Grilled Shrimp & Sausage
(serves 2)

• 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp, tail-on (defrosted or fresh)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T fresh chopped parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt & pepper
• 2 or 3 mild Italian sausages

Preparation
In a bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, parsley, garlic, and salt & pepper.  Add the shrimp and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes.  Once marinated, grab some skewers and thread the shrimp onto the skewers. I like to make sure the skewer goes through 2 points on each shrimp to hold them on there firmly.  Heat the grill to medium.  Grill the shrimp skewers for about 3 minutes on each side, or until pink.  Grill the sausage until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.  The sausage should take a bit longer than the shrimp.

Zucchini Noodles
(serves 2)

• 1 large zucchini
• 1 T lemon juice
• salt & pepper

Preparation
There are a few ways you can cut the zucchini into noodles. I used a vegetable peeler to cut thin strips and then sliced them into match-stick-like pieces. If you have a mandolin or a tool that can julienne, use that.  Otherwise, you can use a knife to cut super thin noodle-like strips.  Cut until you reach the seeds in the middle- the core isn't really usable for noodles.  Once they are cut, place them into a colander and season with salt.  Let them sit on the counter for about 15 minutes.  Then, squeeze out the liquid into a bowl/the sink. This is going to seem really weird because you are literally wringing out the zucchini noodles like they are a wet towel.  Try to get as much liquid out as possible.  Transfer them to a bowl, season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and you are ready to serve!

Like I said, this was fairly easy and required very little clean-up.  It may not be the most filling meal in the world, but it is Paleo-friendly and is great especially on a nice warm night!  I can't wait to try zucchini noodles with other meals, and I hope you try them out too!