New year and new promises to treat the body right

Cauliflower Grits...My Low Carb Savior

The first week of January...that magical time when we look back at the previous 6 weeks and make the promise to never eat like that again. Well, why let 2015 be any little different? As I mentioned before I'm a comfort food junkie, especially during the gray days of winter. One of my favorites is shrimp and grits. Now, I grew up eating fish or salmon croquettes (ooh, new thing to try) with grits. Shrimp and grits were mostly a low country, coastal combo that are now the highlight of many Southern-inspired brunch menus.

While grits are oh so comforting, on occasion I monitor my carbohydrate intake and turn to the humble cauliflower for inspiration. Cauliflower is the same specifies as a number of cruciferous vegetables, including kale (over it), collards, cabbage, and broccoli. 

While you can roast, puree, or do almost anything, I prefer to rice it and make grits.

Cauliflower Grits

1 head of cauliflower, quartered with leaves and core removed
2 ears of sweet corn, shucked or 1 small can of creamed corn 
2 cups water
¼ cup of milk, cream, or dairy substitute of choice (if you have nice fresh sweet corn, you don’t even need this)
1 tablespoon of butter, optional or can be added individually
½ cup (or more depending on how cheesy you like your grits) extra sharp cheddar cheese, optional
Salt and black pepper to taste

Grate cauliflower quarters and corn using the fine shred side. Add veggies to a pot with 2 cups of water and cook covered on medium high heat until the cauliflower is soft. Removed cover and add in the butter, milk, and cheese and cook uncovered to thicken, slightly. At this point, you can smooth out the texture with a hand held blender. I don’t because I prefer my grits to have a little bite. 

I’m still experimenting with the amount of corn. This Swiss corn is not as sweet and milky as the US stuff; so, I needed a little something more. In any case, I usually treat my cauliflower the same way treat my grits after the veggies are tender.

With grilled chicken

Cauliflower cheese grits with fried eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms

So there it is, the second blog post. Happy 2015 and enjoy your New Year's resolutions.