Grits, butter, and cheese have a highly symbiotic relationship. Similar to polenta, grits are simply ground dried corn that is rehydrated and reheated with milk, water, or broth and flavored with cheese, butter, salt, and pepper—and sometimes some other very good things. While I’ve been known to serve grits with black truffles, the traditional additions can pile up the fat and calories fast. Using low-fat cheese and extra-lean turkey bacon and omitting the butter reduced the fat grams from 46.7 to 7.4 and cut the calories by half.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Wrap each shrimp with a piece of the turkey bacon, securing the bacon with a toothpick.
Step 2
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, spray it generously with cooking spray. Add the prepared shrimp and cook until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring the milk, peas, and scallions to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the grits and reduce the heat to low. Cook, whisking constantly, until the grits are tender, about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 4
Divide the grits evenly among 4 dinner plates. Remove the toothpicks from the shrimp, place 3 shrimp on top of each plate of warm grits, and serve.
nutrition information
Step 5
Fat: 46.7g (before), 7.4g (after)
Step 6
Calories: 587 (before), 231 (after)
Step 7
Protein: 24g
Step 8
Carbohydrates: 15g
Step 9
Cholesterol: 139mg
Step 10
Fiber: 1g
Step 11
Sodium: 827mg
