I’ve made no secret of the fact that I adore the new vegan seafood products on the market today. Shrimp was the very last animal meat I gave up – growing up on the Gulf Coast, I fell in love with shrimp early and it was my very favorite treat for years! Only recently have I found a vegetarian protein to take its place, and friends, there’s just no turning back.
Tonight, I had a hankering for one of those good old Gulf Coast meals that I used to adore so much but haven’t had in more than a decade. Shrimp and grits? Yes, please!
I started with a cup of quick-cooking grits with a pinch of salt and set them to low heat. (As the grits began to simmer, I baked the shrimp in the oven to get them prepared.) Once the grits had a little bit of firmness – not a lot, they weren’t done, but just a little texture to them – I added a small can of diced green chilies to the pan and stirred well. A couple of minutes later, I added two tablespoons of tomato sauce and stirred well again.
Now, let me tell you a little secret about how I make grits: I don’t cover them, as it says to do on the package. Once, back in college, the lid to my saucepan was dirty and I didn’t feel like washing it, so I left it in the sink and cooked the grits “topless.” Lo and behold, the Earth did not spin off its axis, nor did the sky fall. Nor, even, were my grits any worse for wear! So now I cook them topless every time. And every time I am pleased with the results. You just have to stir them a little more often, is all.
But back to the cooking process.
By the time the shrimp was fully baked, the grits weren’t far behind – they’d thickened up nicely by this point and were quite nearly ready to eat. So I proceeded with the final step of the recipe and added 1 cup of Daiya cheddar shreds to the saucepan, stirring after each half-cup until the cheese was fully melted and had blended into the rest of the dish. Then it was time to eat!
We spooned big helpings of the grits onto our plates and topped it with a hearty dose of shrimp. Then we dove right in and cleared our plates – and went back to the stove for seconds! Unfortunately, there’s not a shred of shrimp and grits left in the kitchen at the moment – but fortunately, we loved every bite. You will, too!
VEGAN SHRIMP AND GRITS
Serves 2-4
What you’ll need:
1 package vegan breaded shrimp (we used Sophie’s Kitchen)
4 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits
1 small can diced green chilies, drained as best you can (they’re liquidy little suckers)
2 tbsps. tomato sauce
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese (we used Daiya)
Salt, to taste
Place the shrimp into the oven to bake according to the package instructions. (We cooked ours at 375 for 15 minutes.)
Next, prepare the grits. Set four cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Once the water is boiling nicely, add one cup of grits and salt to taste and stir well, then turn the heat down to Low.
After about 5-7 minutes, add the diced green chilies to the saucepan and stir well to combine. A couple of minutes later, add the tomato sauce and stir well again.
Once the grits are almost to the texture and thickness you prefer, add the cheese in half-cup increments, stirring well with each addition to combine. The cheese should blend in beautifully with your grits.
Next, when the shrimp is finished baking, pull it out of the oven and get ready to plate your dish!
Spoon a hearty helping of grits into the middle of a dinner plate, and then top the grits with however much shrimp you like. (We tend to be heavy-handed with it, admittedly.) Add a little extra salt if you think the grits need it, and most of all, enjoy!
:)