Turning Southern Food Paleo!

     As with any attempt to be healthy, there are certain foods that we can eat only rarely. I love grits, and I really  love shrimp and grits. (If you live in New Orleans, get the shrimp and grits at Brisbi's)! Unfortunately, grits are ground corn kernels, and corn is a grain, so grits are no longer on the menu.

   So imagine my joy when I stumbled upon a Paleo Shrimp & Grits recipe from emeals! The "grits" are made with cauliflower, and before you dismiss that as completely gross, cauliflower is actually a great food to use to mimic another. With just a little bit of seasoning, you can quickly eliminate the cauliflower taste and make it taste like whatever you want! I've already made cauliflower "mashed potatoes" and a pizza crust made with cauliflower, goat cheese, and oregano.

Picture Source: EMeals Blog

           Now we all know that butter plays a major role in making a delicious shrimp and grits recipe. Well, thanks to Kerrygold grass fed butter and Mark Sisson's research on grass fed butter (that link takes you to the blog...click on Mark's links to find more info), you can  include butter in this recipe--that is, if you buy the whole 'fat is good, grains are bad' platform. If butter does bother you, there really isn't that much per serving :)  

   GRITS: I started with a Costco-sized bag of cauliflower. I chopped it up into itty-bitty pieces and used the food processor to turn the florets into "grits-like" pieces. EMeals called for 4 cups of florets, but I used eight because Ryan and I always eat more than two servings worth of veggie recipes.

   I sauteed the cauliflower in a large pan for 6 minutes, then I added 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (click here for homemade recipe), a cup of almond flour, and salt, pepper, and butter to taste. Cook for 12 minutes, or until liquid is evaporated. 

   SHRIMP

   Chop 4 cloves of garlic and a large red onion into the tiniest pieces you can manage. Zest 2 small, or one large, lemons and juice them. Chop fresh parsley, 1/4 cup.

   Cook garlic and onion in a skillet for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add shrimp, lemon, and one teaspoon of a creole seasoning of choice. Saute for about 4 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through.

   Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Serve over grits and enjoy :)

How does my picture compare to the above Emeals photo?  :)

Here's a more compact recipe:

  So honestly...we can't replicate true shrimp and grits. But this recipe was good. And it's guilt-free :)  I think I'll use the "grits" base and experiment with different shrimp recipes to mix things up a bit.

Question: Have you had any success turning cauliflower into something else? If so, please share!!!!

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Good night!