Health-ified Southern grits to shake up your breakfast bowl game.
Creamy Sweet Grits with Strawberry-Chia Jam
Ingredients
Creamy Sweet Grits Ingredients:
- 2 cups light coconut milk, divided
- 1/2 cup white grits
- 1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon nut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry-Chia Jam Ingredients:
- 2 cups strawberries, chopped
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Toppings:
- fresh strawberries
- puffed cereal (kamut, wheat, millet, etc)
- coconut sugar
Instructions
Strawberry-Chia Jam Instructions:
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In a blender or food processor, blend together your strawberries and dates until mostly smooth.
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Take the jam out of the blender, pour in a small bowl and mix in your chia seeds.
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Store covered in the refrigerator for later use.
Creamy Sweet Grits Instructions:
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Heat 1 1/2 cups coconut milk with your Earth Balance and sea salt. Bring to a boil.
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Once boiling add in your grits. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes - stirring occasionally.
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After 15 minutes, take the lid off add in your last 1/2 cup of coconut milk along with your nut butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Cook uncovered for another 10 minutes.
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After 10 minutes, pour your grits into a bowl top with strawberry-chia jam, fresh strawberries, puffed cereal and coconut sugar sprinkles.
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EAT UP.
My last breakfast bowl, the Moroccan-Spiced Melon & Quinoa Bowl, was a pretty big hit. So I figured I’d take another whack at it, but this time I’d put a slightly more Southern spin on this breakfast bowl thing. Now let’s get some things straight… yes both grits and I are Southern BUT I did not grow up eating them for breakfast every morning. I think my mom knew how ridiculously unhealthy that would be. However I did have grits at special events or family gatherings, and they were layered with pounds of milk, butter and cheese. I do not exaggerate when I say pounds. But god love ’em they were damn delicious. UGH, why can’t our bodies be invincible!?!? Oh well it doesn’t matter anymore, because I like this version even better. (Don’t tell my grandma.) Think grits “health-ified” while maintaining all deliciousness and creaminess….
When it comes to breakfast I can be a creature of habit. For example, for the past month I haven eaten a fruit, yogurt and granola bowl every morning. But now it’s getting colder, so the yogurt bowl is out and truthfully oats feel a little over played. So I’m branching out (well, I’m trying to!) Grits here I come! If you have never had grits before, imagine the texture of oatmeal meeting the texture of polenta and you have a pretty good idea of what you are getting yourself into. And as far as difficulty level goes: I promise that grits are not hard to make. At least these aren’t. It’s all ingredients you probably have in your pantry already. So deep breath. You got this. You’re a breakfast adventurer.
Now let’s discuss this strawberry jam. I’M SUPER STOKED ON IT. You wanna know why? Store bought jam is one of my biggest grievances in life. It all has sugar! Even the kind that “doesn’t have sugar” has fruit pectin, which is essentially sugar in disguise. This recipe is sweetened only with dates. So it won’t spike your blood sugar too much, or cause you to have afternoon sugar cravings. It tastes like actual fruit, BECAUSE IT IS. Plus it spreads really well, keeps well, and honestly the longer you leave it in the fridge the more “jam-like” it gets. Because the chia seeds have time to do their thing and “glue” your jam together. So maybe you want to consider making the jam a day or so ahead of this breakfast bowl. Just consider it – after all, that will make you a pro-level breakfast bowl-er. Perhaps people will start calling you a breakfast baller.
Flavor-wise the grits are creamy, sweet and have a slight nutty flavor from the nut butter. So when you put that together with some strawberry-chia jam and other goodies, you essentially have a hyped up PB&J for breakfast. And I don’t know about you, but that’s something that get’s my attention. It’s the perfect cozy breakfast for fall or winter, and it’s easier than you ever imagined. Just try not to dive into the bowl face first. Or do… I’m not here to judge. It is that good, after all.
