Citrus Marinated Grilled Chicken & Shrimp w/ Coconut Cauliflower Rice

An easy, light, refreshing and healthy dish you can enjoy all summer long that pairs beautifully with a glass of white wine or a refreshing citrus drink!

I don't usually make fusion dishes and I am pretty big on respecting individual cuisines and food but I have to say that Chef Michelle Bernstein has made me rethink things a slight bit after visiting Cafe La Trova in Miami where she carefully and delicately fuses Mediterranean and Latin flavors. As someone who is passionate about Mediterranean cuisine and has a Latin background it was certainly inspiring to say the very least. So I immediately decided to begin experimenting with techniques in this new dish where I paired Mediterranean marinated chicken thighs and shrimp with a beautiful Latin inspired coconut cauliflower rice to create a light and delicious dish that is perfect for the hot summer ahead. Not only is it light but it's also very low fat as I used a fat free coconut creamer instead of coconut milk and infused additional coconut flavor by adding toasted shredded coconut flakes to it as well and topped the whole thing off with a beautiful cherry tomato salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

I hope you can appreciate the work and thought that went into creating this dish and enjoy it as much as my family and I did. Please note that this rice pairs beautifully with any type of fish as well, in fact you will be seeing me pair this with various types of fish throughout this summer. I personally chose to use the coconut creamer because I wanted to keep the dish light and to keep the coconut flavors delicate and subtle, but feel free to use coconut milk if you prefer a richer and stronger coconut flavored dish. However, I would not omit the toasted shredded coconut flakes from the dish because it not only adds a clean coconut flavor it also adds a nice texture to the dish that absolutely elevates it to another level.

Grilled Chicken Thighs and Shrimp

10 Extra Large Argentinian Pink Shrimp peeled and deveined
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Citrus marinade
Roasted Garlic Salt and pepper to taste

Marinade

3 cloves of garlic smashed and rough chopped
1 handful of Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
Juice and rind of a lemon
1 tbsp. chili flakes*
1 tbsp. Smoked sea salt*
3/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*Feel free to adjust to taste and if you can't find smoked sea salt you can use the roasted garlic sea salt in its place.

Coconut Cauliflower Rice

1lb bag of cauliflower rice
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of Plain unflavored NutPod Creamer
1/2 cup of toasted unsweetened shredded coconut flakes (Place the coconut flakes in a dry pan over medium heat to toast them up)
3tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Roasted Garlic Sea Salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Cherry Tomato Relish

1/4 cup of cherry tomatoes quartered
3 tbsp. of chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley or basil
1 1/2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Marinate your Chicken and Shrimp

Mix all the ingredient for the marinade in a bowl, you should have a nice dressing type marinade. Set up a separate bowl for the shrimp and if using frozen shrimp, you can simply run it under cold water and it should thaw out. Ensure all of the shrimp is patted thoroughly dry and pour enough of the marinade to coat the shrimp. Now place your chicken in the remaining marinade. Mix both thoroughly and let marinate covered for no more than an hour in the fridge. You will notice that the chicken will absorb the marinade almost like if you were velveting it which will result in a more tender, juicy and flavorful chicken. The shrimp will not absorb all of the marinade, but it will get enough to flavor it beautifully. *Please note due to the citrus this is a quick marinade and should not be left more than an hour or the citrus will begin to cook your chicken and shrimp.

Step 2: Mise en Place

Clear out everything from the first step and take this time once you've got everything cleaned up to prepare your ingredients for your rice and relish. Dice your onion, mince your garlic, toast your coconut, quarter your cherry tomatoes and place them in a small bowl.

Step 3: Grill your Chicken and Shrimp

Get your grill to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit and rub the grates with avocado oil to avoid any sticking. Season with roasted garlic salt and pepper and place the chicken on the grill and over a medium flame for about 5-10 minutes on each side with the grill shut. This will allow the chicken to achieve a nice crust and the indirect heat to permeate it and cook it through. Once you have flipped the chicken over to the second side you can place your shrimp on the other side of the grill over a high flame for about 3 minutes on each side. I personally like to baste both the shrimp and chicken with the marinade when I first place them on the grill. I also like to use a grill pan to make grilling the shrimp easier however you can also use a grilling basket or skewers to make grilling and flipping them easier. Once both are nicely charred and cooked through you can set them aside and let them rest while you make your rice.

Step 4: Let's make our Coconut Rice

Heat up a heavy sauté pan and add the extra virgin olive oil to it until it shimmers. Add the cauliflower and raise the heat if necessary until it all comes to a heavy simmer, season with salt and mix thoroughly to allow all of the moisture to evaporate (I personally like to use a low sodium kosher salt for this step to allow me to thoroughly coat the cauliflower in order to extract maximum moisture from it and season at the end with the roasted garlic salt for additional umami flavor). Add the onions and garlic and sauté for around 5 minutes to allow the onions and garlic to cook down and infuse the cauliflower with flavor. Now re season with the roasted garlic sea salt and pepper and add your broth to deglaze your pan. Wait until its reduced by half and taste to ensure the rice is properly seasoned and re season if necessary. Add the NutPod and half of the toasted coconut flakes and allow it to cook down to where you have a creamy but not a soupy texture and the cauliflower should have a bite and not be mushy.

Step 5: Now we put together our Cherry Tomato Relish

In a small bowl combine the tomatoes with the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, parsley or basil, salt and pepper. Toss to mix the ingredients and fully coat your tomatoes with the vinaigrette.

Step 5: Plate and Serve

To plate place a small bed of the rice on the bottom of your plate, sprinkle with additional toasted coconut flakes for texture. Place your chicken on top of your bed of rice and the carefully nestle your shrimp on the chicken and top the whole thing off with the tomato relish to add freshness and acidity to the dish. Enjoy!