(35) Creamy Cheese Grits

I've made quite a few cheese grits in my life and they tend to fall into two categories. They're either the garlicky, super sharp cheese variety or the mild, creamy version. This recipe is the latter. This is an easy recipe and was a perfect compliment to the grilled pork chops.

Side note: Dry grits on a hot, flat top stove = flames. Ohhhh boy. I've never had a fire in the kitchen until today. Good times, good times!!

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Creamy Cheese Grits

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Source: Southern Living Magazine, January 2006

5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits*
1/2 (8-ounce) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bring 5 cups water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Cheddar cheese and remaining ingredients until cheese is melted and mixture is blended. Serve immediately.

*Stone-ground grits may be substituted. Increase liquid to 6 cups, and increase cook time to 50 minutes.

(13) Beef, Barley, and Mushroom Soup with Goat Cheese Bruschetta

January, cold, winter = soups! Of course I failed to check the weather when I picked this recipe and it was 80 degrees out today! But it still hit the spot. This made a HUMONGOUS serving (2 cups each) and wasn't too hard to put together. I let it simmer for 1.5 hours because I was waiting for my husband to get home. Delish!!

I also have to say, I was really excited to get to cook with herbs de Provence! I had bought a big bag of them when we were in Paris and forgot all about it!! So when I found them in the back of the cabinet, I was extra happy :) I love Paris!!

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Beef, Barley, and Mushroom Soup with Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Source: Cooking Light, Soups and Stews
Yield: 6 servings (serving size = 1.5c soup and 1 pc bread)

2 tsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1/3 c chopped shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 lb sirloin beef tips
1 (8oz) package presliced mushrooms
3 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/2 cup Burgundy or other dry red wine
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 (14oz) cans fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
6 (1/2") slices French Bread
cooking spray
2 oz herbed goat cheese

1) Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, shallots, and garlic; saute 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Add beef and mushrooms; saute 8 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add water and next 7 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hr or until barley is tender.

2) Preheat broiler. Place bread slices on a baking sheet; lightly coat tops of bread with cooking spray. Broil 2 minutes or until toasted. Turn bread slices over, spread goat cheese evenly over bread slices. Broil until cheese begins to bubble. Cool 1 minute. Serve with soup.

Calories 321, fat 7.9g, protein 24.5g, carb 37.7g, Fiber 4.9g, chol 38mg, iron 3.5mg, sodium 777mg, calc 66mg

(110) Creamy Polenta

Delish! I have never quite had the knack for making a good polenta, but this recipe was it for me!!

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Creamy Polenta

Source: Everyday Food - Jan/Feb 2005
Yield: 4 servings (approx: 3/4 cup per serving)

4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter

1. In a large saucepan, bring water, salt, and pepper to a boil over high heat
2. Whisking constantly, very gradually add cornmeal. Simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese and butter until smooth.

Nutritional Information (per sparkrecipes.com)
Calories 137, Total Fat 5.6 g, Cholesterol 12.7 mg, Sodium 1,001.6 mg, Potassium 74.3 mg, Total Carbohydrate 17.9 g, Dietary Fiber 1.7 g, Sugars 0.1 g, Protein 4.5 g

(76) Two-Corn Polenta with Tomatoes, Basil, and Cheese

Polenta is not something that I make very often, but this recipe caught my attention. The flavors work really well together and the texture is great! Please, whatever you do, don't use dried basil as a substitute! This recipe needs the real stuff!! Oh and I don't know that I've ever bought a bag of instant polenta. I just use plain old yellow cornmeal!

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Two-Corn Polenta with Tomatoes, Basil, and Cheese

Corn kernels and polenta layer texture and flavor in this dish. Serve with green beans and grilled pork.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, June 2008

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (2 medium)
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup instant dry polenta
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, corn, and garlic; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Slowly add polenta, stirring with a whisk until polenta is thick (about 5 minutes). Add cheese, stirring to melt. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat; sprinkle with tomato and basil. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 194 (20% from fat), Fat: 4.3g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g), Protein: 8.9g, Carbohydrate:31.6g, Fiber: 4.6g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Iron: 1.1mg, Sodium: 457mg, Calcium:
134mg

(8) Greek Bulgur (or couscous!) Salad

Greek Bulgur (or couscous!) Salad

This recipe was one of those 'suggested sides' recipes along with the Pork Chops Oreganata. They suggested you use hot cooked bulgur but I didn't have that on hand, so I used couscous. Because couscous isn't very moist on it's own and doesn't retain heat well, I had to microwave the couscous + spinach to get it to wilt.

3 cups hot cooked bulgur
5 ounces baby spinach
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta

Combine hot bulgur and spinach. Cover and let stand 15 minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.