Lemon-Rosemary Grilled Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash, Grilled Asparagus and ‘Blackened’ Shrimp
Today, I decided to make a traditional chicken dish, consisting of rosemary, lemon and garlic, with some grilled asparagus and a creamy, delicious sweet potato mash. Whenever consuming meat, it’s always best to eat vegetables as well. Choosing two different veggies to accompany the meat is ideal, as this not only ensures extra nutrients, but is definitely a lighter and healthier option. Vegetables add great colour and taste to the dish, keeping in mind that different, deep, bright colours usually means a variety of different vitamins! To make this meal a bit more special, I decided to make a semi-spicy ‘blackened’ shrimp side dish as well. The shrimp’s seasoning really adds the perfect kick to the shrimp. The picture of my superbly filled plate below looks a tad on the busy side, but everything tasted great and went well together. I contemplated to create three separate blog posts, however I decided to throw everything together for one big savory party!
Lemon-Rosemary Chicken:
Ingredients:
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary
- 2 large lemons (zested and juiced)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Wash and cut chicken breasts into desirable pieces and set aside. In a small food processor (I used The Magic Bullet), blend rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until completely blended. Drench chicken in this mixture and marinate for a half hour. Grill chicken with marinade until browned (6-8 minutes). I used the George Forman grill.
Sweet Potato Mash:
Unlike some sweet variations of sweet potato mash that use brown sugar or maple syrup, I enjoy more of a savory version that includes garlic. Sweet potatoes are known to be a ‘superfood,’ as they are high in vitamins A, and contain vitamin C, B6, fibre, potassium and many other nutrients. For this reason alone, I usually tend to cook with sweet potatoes more, as opposed to regular potatoes. This tasty side dish can be served with virtually any meat or fish.
Ingredients:
-
2 large sweet potatoes
- 1.5 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
-
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Wash and cut the sweet potatoes length-wise in half. Place the skin side on a baking pan. Bake in the oven at 400F until soft, about an hour. Melt butter in a pot on medium heat and fry garlic until slightly browned. Scoop out the inside of the sweet potatoes and mash in the pot with the butter and garlic. Remove from heat, and add milk. Stir until entirely smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
Asparagus directions: Wash and trim the stocky end off. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill for 5-6 minutes.
‘Blackened’ Shrimp:
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons celery, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red pepper, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme)
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1/4 cup white wine
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1.5 teaspoons paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Add together all of the seasoning ingredients and mix well. Marinate shrimp in seasoning, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, red pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, parsley, saute for another 2 minutes. Add wine and let reduce to half. Toss the shrimps in and saute until cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
