Health for life

This week’s recipe is brought to you by my recent jaunt to my second home state and adjectives.

My boyfriend and I were in North Carolina’s Triangle region this past weekend to visit my best friend A and her hubby J, and to experience the 16th Annual Piedmont Farm Tour, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

The farm tour was delightful, informative, and organically delicious. Over two days, we toured four farms despite thunderstorms and tornadoes, which were mercifully to the east and south of us.

You’ll hear more about the farm tour in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I present to you these tasty, comforting grits that are helping me recover from travel and resume the swing of city life.

Grits is a versatile side dish that is traditionally served with breakfast, but makes a marvelous alternative to potatoes or rice with supper. I picked up a big bag of hominy grits at the Piggly Wiggly in Pittsboro, but it also comes in white and yellow corn varieties.

I ask only three things of grits: be creamy, be cheesy, and be spicy. Hot sauce takes care of spicy, and any good Southerner serves grits with a bottle of Tabasco or Texas Pete on the table. Creamy can be satisfied with butter and milk or their nondairy counterparts. I use a little nonhydrogenated vegan margarine and a splash of soy milk.

Cheesy is a trickier proposition if youre steering clear of dairy products, which I try to do for the most part. Once in a while Ill splurge on a little cheese, but for everyday eating, I avoid it. A few sprinkles of nutritional yeast does the job of adding the tang of cheese, as well as B12 vitamins.

For an extra punch of nutrition, I chose kale for its heartiness and texture. Kale stands up to the porridge and wont disappear like more delicate greens. And since no Southern dish is complete without a hamhock or or slab of bacon, I subbed my new favorite vegetarian alternative: smoked paprika. It adds a subtle hint of smoky flavor and leaves the pigglies still wiggling.

From now on, Ill ask four things of my grits. But no worries; theyre up to the task.

~~~

If you dig this xx, you may also dig:

• Pan-American Grits with Quinoa
• Tofu Veggie Scramble
• Quinoa-Millet Mushroom Risotto

~~~

Creamy, Cheezey, Smoky, Spicy Grits with Kale
Serves 6


1 pound kale, washed, destemmed, and chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
3–6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2–3 tablespoons water

1 1/3 cups hominy grits
5 1/3 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon soy milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon salt
black pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste

1) Wash, remove stems from kale, and chop. Heat olive oil in large heavy bottomed skillet. Cook garlic over medium heat for a minute or two, then add kale by the handful, stirring as it wilts. Drizzle in a couple tablespoons of water, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. (I like my kale on the crunchy side. Cook a little longer if you like yours softer.) Set kale aside.

2) In a large sauce pan, bring 5 1/3 cups water to a rolling boil. Slowly pour in grits while stirring. Mix in soy milk, vegan margarine, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and continually stir grits for 5 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached.

3) Fold in sauteed kale and serve hot with a dash of with hot sauce alongside baked tofu or scrambled eggs.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
188.5 calories, 3.8g fat, 1.8g fiber, 2.7g protein, $.48

Calculations
1 pound kale: 198 calories, 0.4g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $1.74
1 teaspoon olive oil: 39.6 calories, 4.6g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.03
3 cloves garlic: 12 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.04
1 1/3 cups hominy grits: 682 calories, 5g fat, 11g fiber, 16g protein, $.20
1 tablespoon soy milk: 5.4 calories, 0.3g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.02
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast: 94 calories, 1.4g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.66
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated vegan margarine: 100 calories, 11g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.12
1 tablespoon smoked paprika: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tablespoon salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
black pepper to taste: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
hot sauce to taste: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
TOTALS: 1131 calories, 22.7g fat, 11g fiber, 16g protein, $2.89
PER SERVING (TOTALS/6): 188.5 calories, 3.8g fat, 1.8g fiber, 2.7g protein, $.48

Kris and I, as she mentioned in her Serious Eats column this week, participate in a semi-monthly gathering of food-minded friends who love to cook and love to eat. We rotate hosting duties and themes (spicy food, Mediterranean, Feast of St. Maximillian). People mostly take care to consider the food issues of all in attendance and no one could possibly go hungry.

This month, though, there wasn’t really a theme beyond “I’m making a brisket; you guys bring whatever.” In the past, I’ve used potluck to be creative and take risks with varying degrees of success. This time, I decided to make something really “potlucky,” and to me, that means a casserole.

The potlucks of my past have been a vegetarian hell of meatballs, fried chicken, tuna casserole—and if I’m lucky, macaroni and cheese. Some brave church lady (probably my mom) will decide there should be a vegetable and make a green bean casserole. Maude bless her, but Maude help you if you’re vegan.

I wanted my dish to be healthier and dairy-free. Is it possible to have a casserole that isn’t cheesy, creamy, and fatty? CB suggested “something Mexican,” and an idea began to form. I could picture the dish in my mind. I just needed a jumping off point.

Then I remembered the Pan-American Grits and Quinoa recipe I shared with you some time ago. What if I just layered that with beans and vegetables? It sounded good to me, but I needed precedent. To Moosewood.

There was a recipe for Instant Tamale Pie that was essentially what I pictured in my head, only with store-bought ingredients (pre-cooked polenta, jarred salsa). I put the cookbook away and went to the stove. A little while later, my 9” × 13” baking dish, which sees little action, was full (and heavy) and ready to hit the road.

It’s misleading to call what I ended up with a casserole. The only baking necessary was to reheat on arrival. Nonetheless, it was a huge success. Thumbs up from stuffed faces around the room—and there was bacon mac and cheese (only 1/2 bacon—thanks KJ!), homemade foccacia, and brisket on that table.

Cheap, healthy, and vegetarian proves, once again, to be a contender. Take that, church ladies. Actually, here, I’ll make you one for Spring Fling Supper.

~~~

If you enjoy this dish, you might also quite appreciate:

• Black Bean Burrito Bake
• Refried Beans
• Quinoa Soup with Avocado and Corn

~~~

*Grits and Quinoa with Spicy Pink Beans
yields approximately 20 servings


Bottom layer
8 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup grits
1 cup quinoa
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 cup frozen corn kernels

Top layer
3 cups pink or pinto beans, soaked and cooked
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced with seeds
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen spinach
1 tsp salt
cilantro, chopped for garnish

1) Add water and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.

2) Whisking constantly, slowly add grits to water. As soon as saucepan comes back up to a boil, add quinoa. Stir.

3) Drop heat to low. Simmer around 25 minutes, stirring frequently.
While the grits are cooking...

4) Spray a large skillet with canola cooking spray and sauté 2 cups of the onion for 7 or so minutes.

5) Add the peppers, cook for a 2–3 minutes; then add spices, cook for 1 minute; then add corn.

When grits/quinoa is ready...

6) Mix sautéed veggies into grains, salt to taste, and pour into a 9”×13” baking dish. Be sure to leave about 2 inches of room at the top.

7) Rinse out your skillet with a little water, but don’t wash it. Spray again with cooking spray and sauté the remaining onion for about 5 minutes.

8) Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté for another 2–3 minutes.

9) Toss in the diced tomato with juice, salt, and frozen spinach, stirring well to combine.

10) Add the cooked beans and a little water if necessary. You don’t want it to be soupy, but wet enough not to scorch. Allow to simmer for about 5–7 minutes.

11) When the beans are done, spread over the grits/quinoa base and top with chopped cilantro. Cheese is optional.

12) Serve warm with a side of this and that and oh Maude THAT for dessert.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
142.9 calories, 1g fat, 4.8g fiber, 6.1g protein, $.58

Calculations
1 1/2 cup grits: 864 calories, 3g fat, 3g fiber, 21g protein, $1.00
1 cup quinoa: 626 calories, 10g fat, 12g fiber, 24g protein, $1.59
2 large onions: 120 calories, 0g fat, 6g fiber, 4g protein, $1.50
cooking spray: 6 calories, 0g fat, 6g fiber, 4g protein, $.02
2 red bell peppers: 102 calories, 0g fat, fiber, protein, $2.99
1 tbsp ground cumin: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $0.02
1 tbsp ground coriander: negligible calories, fat, protein, $0.02
2 tsp salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $0.02
2 cup frozen corn kernels: 240 calories, 2g fat, 6g fiber, 8g protein, $1.25
3 cups pink or pinto beans: 735 calories, 3g fat, 45g fiber, 45g protein, $1.00
6 cloves garlic: 26 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 2g protein, $.07
2 jalapeño peppers: 8 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein $.16
1 cup canned, diced tomatoes: 41 calories, 0g fat, 2g fiber, 2g protein, $.38
2 cups frozen spinach: 90 calories, 1g fat, 10g fiber, 12g protein, $.99
cilantro: negligible calories and fat, $0.50
TOTALS; 2858 calories, 19g fat, 96g fiber, 5.3g fiber, 122g protein, $11.51
PER SERVING (TOTALS/20): 142.9 calories, 1g fat, 4.8g fiber, 6.1g protein, $.58