Creamy Yellow Grits

These tiny bits of grounded corn make me happy! I did not grow up on grits, but used to eat them when we came south. When I was growing up in the north, Wheatina, Cream-of-Wheat, and oatmeal were the only hot cereal options on the grocery market shelves where I lived. We would also eat millet or warmed granola at times too. So, to me, grits are a treat; yes, even still. I don’t make them often. I still have oatmeal or steel-cut oats regularly. When I make grits, I make them with a plant-based scramble and veggie meat, and sometimes toast. If your scramble is loaded with veggies, then fine, you don’t have to include anything else, but otherwise, I recommend serving this with fruit or veggies. This is a very filling meal.

Did you know that there are white, yellow, and blue grits? Yes! Grits are made from the whole grain of corn (Read about it from Organic Facts), and they come in the variety of corn. In another post, I talked about the necessity of buying only organic corn, which would not be sprayed with glyphosate, which is toxic to the human body; however, always work within your budget and pray, pray, pray over your food!

Now, there is also a variety of types of grits. There are regular, instant/quick, hominy, and stone-ground grits; however, the stone-ground grits are the healthiest type to cook for best nutritional value. I use stone-ground corn for grits. Grits are packed with folate, which prevent and protect the body against anemia, birth defects, and various degenerative eye disorders. They also include iron, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, as well as other vitamins and minerals, along with antioxidants. Read the articles on grits from Southern Living and the New York Times for more information.

I love to make plain yellow grits, which go well with plant-based sausage. Now, if you need a recipe for plant-based sausage, Saved to Serve/Prophesy Again‘s Healthful Living 365 put out a wonderful breakfast video (Begin at minute 7:00 for breakfast sausage) on how to prepare it. My less simple recipe will be in my recipe book. You may also make the plant-based scramble (I make mine with pumpkin seeds — See scramble recipe).

Now, a WORD of CAUTION about the grits: Grits can boil over EASILY if you are not careful in the beginning of the cooking process. WATCH. THAT. POT!! The salted water/milk can bubble over; and once the grits are added, they can bubble over easily. The key is to make sure you see when the salted water/milk begins to boil. I usually slide it off of the eye, turn down the eye to low, and then add my grits while the pot is off the eye. Then, I put the pot back on the eye and continue to stir for about 3-5 minutes, making sure that the grits do not stick to the bottom of the pot. After about 5 minutes, I return every 2 minutes or so for the first 10 minutes of cooking and stir, then maybe 4-5 minutes to stir, especially scraping the bottom of the pot, until the cooking time expires.

I like my grits just like this. I know some people like their grits thicker or thinner, but not me. This is perfect. It totally reminds me of my childhood summer visits to my mother’s family. To this day, I only crave grits in the summer. I also add my homemade ketchup to this for that nostalgic taste.

By the way, you do not have to use milk at all. Water by itself will do, but I like the milk in mine. I pray you enjoy the recipe. Now, without further ado …

Creamy Yellow Grits

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pure water
• 1 cup plain homemade almond milk (See plant-based milk recipe), or more pure water
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan/sea salt
• ¾ cup yellow grits
• 2-3 Tablespoons plant-based butter (Any brand, or see plant-based butter recipe)
• ¼ teaspoon Monk’s (Chasteberry Tree Tea)/papaya pepper to taste, optional

Instructions:

1. Place water, milk, and salt in a pan and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat to low, making sure liquid mixture does not boil out of the pan. If you do not watch it, you’ll have a MESS! So, watch this at this stage.
2. Slowly add grits, stirring as they are added. Stir for the first 3-5 minutes, then stir occasionally, making sure grits do not stick to the bottom of pan. Let grits cook on low for 30 minutes.  Technically, it will be ready in less than 30 minutes, but my grits don’t taste the way I want them to taste unless they cook this long.
3. Add plant-based butter near the end of the cooking time (about 5 minutes before cooking time expires), let melt, and stir into the mixture.
4. Serve HOT… or else it will be sliceable. Serves 2 or 3, depending upon portions. Enjoy!