Southwestern Grits from Clarks Condensed

I am so thrilled to be guest posting here at Fry Sauce and Grits. I met Courtney a few months ago, and have enjoyed getting to know her! I loved when I heard the name of Courtney and Melanie's blog, because I could totally relate to it. You see, my husband is from North Carolina and grew up on grits. Me? Well, I'm from Colorado, with heavy roots from Utah, and fry sauce was a regular staple at our house. Two very different cultures pushed together makes for one awesome marriage!

I started thinking about what I wanted to share, and I thought to myself that it would only make sense to share a grits recipe! If you aren't familiar with grits, they are a staple in Southern meals. They can be rather plain, and are just a great addition to any breakfast. My husband and I decided to throw in a bit of a Colorado/Southwestern twist to a typical batch, and believe me when I say, it was delicious. 

Instead of being just a side dish, we created more like a grits casserole. It has all the things people love about grits (the creamy, buttery, cornmeal flavor) and made it a little more hearty. I'm a little ashamed to admit we almost ate the entire batch, but at the same time. And my one-year-old? He LOVED this dish. He was begging for more.

Thanks again, Melanie and Courtney, for having me, and I hope you all will come by Clarks Condensed soon, and let me know what you think of this recipe! And just as a side note, because my son and I are lactose intolerant, I did use almond milk and a butter substitute, but if you can tolerate whole milk and good ol' butter...I definitely recommend using those!

Southwestern Grits

inspired by Alton Brown's Cheesy Grits

2 cups whole milk 

2 cups water 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup cornmeal 

1 teaspoon pepper

 4 tablespoons butter 

1/2 cup monterrey jack shredded cheese 

1/2 pound mild chorizo 

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped 

1/2 cup red onion, chopped 

1 teaspoon cilantro 

1 teaspoon garlic

2 teaspoons coconut oil

In a skillet, place coconut oil and chorizo and brown it. Add green pepper, red onion, cilantro, and garlic, and cook until tender. Set aside.  In a large pot, bring milk, water and salt to a boil. After it comes to a boil, slowly add in cornmeal, whisking the entire time. After the cornmeal has been incorporated, turn the heat down to a low and cover, whisking every few minutes for 20 minutes, or until the mixture is the desired consistency. 

Remove from heat, add in butter, and mix until butter melts. Then, add in cheese, and the chorizo/vegetable mixture. Serve with toasts, eggs, biscuits...or just about anything else you can think of! If you want just a plain grits recipe, just omit the chorizo and vegetables.