A Touch of Sanity...: Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits

Friday, January 23, 2015

Shrimp & Cauliflower Grits

Who doesn't like shrimp & grits? I mean, especially any Southerner? Right? Guess what? My husband can't stand them. Like will NEVER even entertain the idea! Until this! Honestly, I don't get it...they are really similar to me, maybe it's all in his head, but this is one of his all time favorites!

It is so close, you could fool people! The awesome thing about this recipe is how healthy and packed with veggies this is, but how easily adaptable it is too! You can remove the bacon and sub in butter to keep it pescatarian, you can add parmesan or goat cheese to enhance the creaminess or flavor profile. Sometimes I add both parmesan and goat cheese to the girts and it's truly fabulous and would rival any shrimp and grits recipe! You can also add bite sized pieces of polish kielbasa along with the shrimp and that is CRAZY good! But this time, I stayed simple and added only the ricotta. Ricotta is the most alkaline of the cheese family, for those of you trying to stay the alkalized direction, so that's why I chose it!

What you need... 4 servings (cut in half to serve 2)

2 heads cauliflower, steamed and crushed up

9-11 oz. container of fresh spinach, chopped

3/4 cup full fat ricotta cheese

1/4+ tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

4 strips uncured bacon, cooked & drained, fat reserved

1 red bell pepper, cored & chopped

1 shallot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pint mushrooms, wiped clean & chopped

1 bundle of asparagus tips

1 1/2 lbs. wild caught shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 lemon

1-2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

In order to make the actual cooking process go fast & smooth, I chopped all my veggies ahead & steamed the cauliflower and crushed it up.

Cauliflower - wash and remove leaves and core. Add it to a large pot with a steamer colander in the bottom and about 2 inches of water. Cover and turn to high heat. Once it begins to steam well, allow to steam for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 10 more minutes. Remove cauliflower and put into a flat bottom bowl. Mash with a potato masher until you have your desired consistency. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Cook bacon in a saute pan until crispy. Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel. Reserve bacon and fat. I used the Pork Shoulder Bacon so there is considerably less fat in the pan. If you use regular uncured bacon, drain off fat, leaving inly about 1-2 tablespoons in the pan.

Add the bell pepper, garlic, shallot to pan and return to medium/high heat cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for 1 more minute. Add mushrooms to pan and cook 2 minutes, then add asparagus and cook for 2 more minutes. Add shrimp, cover and get started on your grits. As the shrimp begin to turn pink, remove the lid and toss to combine, continue cooking until shrimp are all pink, squeeze with juice the the lemon and stir in chopped parsley.

Grits -Add a 2-3 count of olive oil to a sauté pan and turn to high heat. Add spinach and cook until it begins to wilt, only about 1 minute, then add cauliflower. Sprinkle with cayenne, salt & pepper and stir to combine while cooking. Cook for about 3 minutes or until warmed through then add cheese(s) and stir until well combined. Once the "grits" are combined and creamy, plate the grits and top with shrimp mixture and bacon crumbles! Serve immediately!

What you need...

Cook bacon until crispy, remove and drain on paper towel, reserve fat

I used the Good Morning Pork Shoulder bacon, 60% less fat, so there isn't much in the pan. If you use regular uncured, drain some of the fat off, you only need a tablespoon or 2.

Chop all the veggies ahead for quick cooking time!

Add bell pepper, shallot, garlic to the bacon renderings and cook on medium/hi heat for 1 minute, reduce to medium heat and continue cooking until translucent.