I have a confession: I’d never made grits before I tried this recipe. Let me tell you more, though! As you know, I live up here in the Pacific Northwest in Seattle and grits are just not a staple. Quinoa? Yes. Amaranth? Absolutely. Freekeh. Check! We seem to have all the ancient grains available in stores and restaurants but you won’t see grits on the menu like you would in other parts of the country. I attended an event by Quaker recently and the presenters taught the audience a recipe for grits. I was amazed how easy and delicious they were. Also, they were perfect leftovers so I used them in my meal prep. Grits are now a staple in my house and I adapted the recipe they presented to create my own Turmeric Grits with Greens. It’s naturally vegan, savory and delicious, and beautiful, too!
All About Grits
An essential staple for Southern cuisine, grits are commonly served at breakfast with eggs or as a savory lunch or dinner with shrimp. They are actually just hominy or stone-ground corn that’s boiled. Simple!
Grits have various histories. There’s evidence that indigenous people in North America ate mashed corn and specifically the Muskogee tribe used a hominy-type corn to make this traditional dish. American colonists learned how to make grits from Native American people so it’s been an important staple on the continent for a long time and continues to be so now.
Fun fact, grits are an official state food of South Carolina! Like I mentioned, they’re not as common where I live and when I recommended them to a client in Canada, she had to special order them! I’m excited to bring grits to areas where they haven’t been used as commonly because they’re a wonderful food.
Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients
This Turmeric Grits with Greens recipe is an anti-inflammatory dream. The anti-inflammatory veggies: onion, peppers, tomatoes, and greens get a whole grain boost with the grits base. The real power here is in all the added herbs and spices so feel free to maximize your turmeric, curry, oregano, thyme, and spicy peppers. All of these have been shown to have health benefits and work together to provide antioxidants that can calm inflammation in the body. My book, Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep, has been life changing to so many people around the country. It’s full of recipes like this one – simple, accessible, and perfect to make in batches to lower stress and work for you!
![A meal prep book with a white and blue cover full of healthy food]()
Making the Turmeric Grits with Greens
The Base
Just like so many other recipes, you’ll create a savoy base. Olive oil and onions create the foundation for so many meals and in this recipe, you’ll also be sautéing bell peppers. I’d encourage you to use absolutely any type that you enjoy or that’s on sale. Yellow or orange match the color of the turmeric but green matches the greens you’ll add. Red or purple are just plain fun so mix it up depending on what looks good at the store. Other awesome meal-prep recipes with a savory base like this include my most recent Orzo Soup with Fresh Herbs or my Creamy Vegan White Bean Soup.
The Spices
The best part of the Turmeric Grits with Greens recipe is definitely the spices. I use a teaspoon of turmeric, thyme, and oregano as well as a dash of cayenne pepper and red chili pepper flakes, too. If you don’t like spice, feel free to reduce or eliminate that last part but do consider keeping the first three. Turmeric is SO anti-inflammatory and the other two add a wonderful of flavor. If you’re afraid it might be too much, simply start with half the amount recommended and add as needed.
The Grits
Once you have your base and spices, you’ll simply add in your diced tomatoes and almond, soy or oat milk. These milks absolutely must be unsweetened to work with this recipe. And no “vanilla” flavor, either! You’re welcome to use regular milk if you want to but just remember, then it won’t be vegan.
Non-dairy milks are a great product. They mimic regular milk very much in recipes and they’re fortified to have the same amount of calcium and other minerals as regular milk. Soy milk has the most protein and most closely resembles regular milk. Almond, coconut and rice have negligible amounts of protein so just keep that in mind.
As you stir in the grits, please be sure to keep a close eye on them and stir them frequently. They will get clumpy if you don’t keep stirring and the dish can get too thick. You’ll be surprised at how fast they cook.
The Greens
Once the grits are finished, add the chopped greens right on top and put a lid on it to steam the greens. They’ll soften up and then you can get some of them into the bowl with each serving. I wrote this with kale but you could easily use collard, beet, or mustard greens, too.
Creamy Turmeric Grits with Greens
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups unsweetened plain soy, oat or almond milk
- 1 cup grits
- 1 cup chopped lacinado kale
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat then add the onions and sautee them for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the bell peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent and the peppers have softened.
- Add the turmeric, curry, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, stirring for 1 minute for the flavors to 'bloom'.
- Add the tomatoes and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Add the non-dairy milk and stir to combine, scrapping the sides to all of the vegetables are in the mixture. Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a boil, allowing it to softly boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and slowly add the grits and stir constantly as they thicken. Cook the mixture for 4-6 minutes until they've thickened and the mixture is gently bubbling.
- Turn the heat off then add the chopped greens to the top of the pot so that they cover the entire surface. Cover the pot and let the greens soften for 6-10 minutes.
The post Creamy Turmeric Grits with Greens appeared first on Ginger Hultin MS, RD, CSO.
