Blood pressuring lowering Shrimp and Grits

I’m going to take a load off and lower my blood pressure (Scott says this is needed, but that means I’m quite angry) and write about one of my favorite topics: Shrimp and Grits.

There are some variations to how we prepare it, so I will add a few optional ingredients and steps.

Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients:

1 pound large gulf shrimp
3 Tbsp. Smart Balance
                Or olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, etc.
2 tsp. roast minced garlic
1 cup finely chopped onions
Chopped parsley or cilantro ( fresh is best, but dried ok)
Hot sauce
                Cajun Power Garlic Sauce, Louisiana Hot Sauce, etc.
½ can Cambell’s Cream of Shrimp Soup
¼ cup of milk
Optional sautéed ingredients: spinach or mushrooms
Cayenne or black pepper, if ya got the stones!

Grits: Pot of creamy grits, corn grits or a firm bed of grits allowed to cool and set in pan

Instructions:

Melt Smart Balance or heat oil in sauce pan. Add onions and minced garlic until onions are slightly wilted. Add hot sauce or Cajun Power and continue stirring.

Add thawed or fresh shrimp along with cilantro and/or parsley and sauté, stir shrimp until they just become pink. If sautéed spinach or mushrooms are being used, add those now.  Adjust the heat to your particular taste.

Pour in ½ can of soup and a little milk to help it mix in. Bring to near boiling or at least bubbling.

Serve with grits or corn grits or on a bed of set grits that have cooled and gotten firm.