Spicy Shrimp and Grits

Grits are a southern favorite that can be made a ton of ways. I love a good sweet grit with breakfast, butt this recipe will be the best dinner, AND QUICKEST, you have had in a while. Literally this takes 15 minutes. It's love for a busy night's meal.

Some people may be intimidated by grits. I agree, they can be scary. Sometimes they are lumpy, sometimes they are gritty, and sometimes the water just doesn't go away. I am going to give you some tricks. First of all, I don't cook my dinner grits in water, I use vegetable stock. This gives the grits a better flavor from the jump. Second, I use quick grits. They literally only take about 5 minutes. And you can't really mess it up if you follow these simple steps.

First hint, whisk the grits as you add them to the boiling stock. This helps prevent the lumps. Second, turn the heat to low as soon as you add them and just let them sit for 5 minutes. I think the broth helps them cook evenly and faster.

Now, I add cheese, sour cream, and butter to the grits once they have cooked to given them that cheesy, creamy texture I love for a meal. If you want to use heavy whipping cream instead of the sour cream you can. Just substitute 2 tbs of heavy whipping cream for the sour cream. The cheese is also up for substitution. I use Monterey Jack, but sharp cheddar, white cheddar, or a pepper jack all taste good. Use what you have on hand or like.

My recipe is going to use bacon and the grease for cooking. If you don'y like bacon, feel free to just skip over that part, just use normal olive oil in the pan for cooking the papers and shrimp. However, I found that nothing compliments shrimp like bacon. Give it a try because it's amazing.

Now this recipe is spicy. Again, I love spice with flavor. If you like less spice, skip the cayenne pepper and hot sauce.. But it's really good with those two things. Give it a shot.

Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: 

For Grits: 3 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Yellow Meal Grits (quick)
2 tbs Butter
1.5 cups Monterey Jack Cheese
4 tbs Sour Cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder 

For Toppings1 lb Shrimp (rinse and dry)
1 large Red Pepper
4 strips Bacon
1 stalk green onions (separate white & greens)
1 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 Tbs hot sauce
1 tbs Butter or Heavy Whipping Cream

1. In a sauce pan, heat 3 cups vegetable stock until boiling. Once boiling, add 1 cup of grits while whisking to make sure there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and cover saucepan. Let sit for 5 minutes until cooked. 
2. Add in butter, sour cream, cheese, and Salt, Pepper, Garlic and stir well. Cover and let sit. 
3. Meanwhile while grips cook, chop pepper, bacon, and separate greens from whites with the onion. 
4. In a saute pan, cook bacon until crispy. Stirling often. Remove bacon but reserve enough grease to coat the bottom of the pan. 
5. Season Shrimp with paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Cook red peppers for about 3 minutes until tender on medium high heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add in shrimp and whites of onion. Cook an additional 7 minutes or until shrimp are cooke through. Add bacon back to pan. 
7. Add in 1/4 cup vegetable stock string to coat shrimp. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat allowing sauce to thicken. Once thickened, add in 1 tbs of butter and the hot sauce and stir until combined. 
8. Meanwhile, check your grits. If they have thickened up, add 1 tbs of water until they thin out again to the consistency you like. 
9. Spoon grits into shallow bowl and top with shrimp topping. Don't be afraid to spoon some extra sauce over the top!. 
10. Top with green onions and enjoy.