Lightened up Shrimp and Grits

There are several staple foods that come to mind when you think of the south: Fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread, and white gravy.  But none is more elusive; more refined yet ruff around the edges than Shrimp and Grits.  A traditional serving would include TONS of butter, shrimp cooked in bacon grease, and then a small amount of that drizzled over the top.  You can bet your bottom dollar that it will taste delicious, but at a hefty price tag of a few hundred (or thousand) calories not to mention that you might as well poor the fat right into your arteries.  The biggest misconception amongst southern chefs is that cutting the fat means cutting the flavor, but that’s not so.  Thank goodness for the Hungry Girl who refined the recipe, allowing for a huge calorie and fat savings while still preserving the taste.   Woohoo for that!  The recipe is very easy and simple to prepare and you can add your flare to it any way that you like (I doubled it).  Even my picky husband loved it!  

Shrimp and Grits

½ cup quick-cooking grits

Dash salt

½ cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon light whipped butter or light buttery spread (I cheated and used real butter)

1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Cheese (I used Garlic & Herb)

8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined

½ cup thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons precooked real crumbled bacon

Optional: Hot sauce

In a medium pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil on the stove.  Add grits and salt and stir well.  Reduce heat to lowest setting.  Stirring occasionally, cook until water has been absorbed, about 6 to 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese, butter, and cheese wedge, breaking cheese wedge into pieces as you add it.  Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

Bring a large skillet sparyed with nonstick spray to medium heat.  Add shrimp and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.  Add scallions, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic.  If you like, add a dash or two of hot sauce.  Stir will and remove from heat.

Serve grits topped with shrimp and bacon. 

Makes 2 servings 

 It makes life so much easier if all ingredients are prepped in advance :) 

 I bought a pound of shrimp and deveined them as well as removed their tails.  I'm sure there are plenty of Shrimp and Grits purists out there that are scoffing at my removing the tails, but you can leave them on if you like.  It's all a matter of preference. 

 Too bad pictures can't also capture smells because it was divine

 Cheesy goodness!

Ta-dah!