Even so… I find myself craving it far more often than we go out to eat, so I figured it was time for a homemade version. I decided to create the ‘grits’ out of cauliflower for more veggies on the plate, but also because they come together in a fraction of the time it takes to make traditional grits. Cauliflower isn’t a starchy veggie, so you wouldn’t think you could create the proper texture, but I added a small amount of tapioca starch to make them incredibly similar. My sister taste tested this dish, and I could tell from the look on her face when I said the grits were made out of cauliflower, that she was more than a little skeptical. It only took a bite though before she said with a note of surprise in her voice, ‘these are really good’. So I hope if you’re feeling a little skeptical too that you’ll give these a try. Both Tyler and I aren’t particularly fond of cauliflower. I mean it’s alright but definitely nowhere near a favorite, and we’re both crazy about these ‘grits’. We’re so crazy about them in fact, that I’ve made a few more batches of just the grits from this recipe, and served them for breakfast with over-easy eggs, (highly recommended). For the grits, I chopped the head of cauliflower into large chunks and put them in the food processor. You don’t have to pre-chop them for a certain texture like you do for cauliflower rice, because you process them to a fairly fine texture for grits. You can leave the cauliflower as chunky or smooth as you’d like, I prefer the texture to be smoother, so I process the cauliflower into very small bits. At the end of the cooking time, I add a small amount of tapioca starch to make that ‘grit’ like texture but you can leave it out if you’d like. Another addition that’s really good is some grated aged cheddar. Although I did the first batch completely dairy free, and it was really good without any added cheese. I think where the cheddar flavor really shines, is when you serve the grits separate from the Cajun shrimp with something mildly flavored like eggs. Another plus with these grits is that they can sit on a back burner over low heat while you make the greens and shrimp. I let mine sit on the burner an extra 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and it doesn’t change the texture at all. I sautéed the greens and the shrimp in the same pan but you can use 2 separate pans if you’d like. The greens only take a couple of minutes to cook, then I transferred them to a serving dish and kept them in a warm oven for the 3-4 minutes it takes to sauté the shrimp. I wasn’t sure when I started the process of making my own version of shrimp and grits at home, if it would be possible to remake my favorite without copious amounts of cheese and heavy cream, and still have it be satisfying. I don’t know where my preconceived notion comes from that healthy food won’t be as tasty or satisfying, but it’s definitely not true. I’m constantly having to challenge myself not to always reach for the cream and cheese when I want comfort food, because comfort food does exist even within the world of healthy! No reviews
