Tempeh Summer Grit Bowl

I love grits and I especially love a grit bowl for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

You can make so many variations of grit bowls, but my favorite is always tempeh with some assortment of fresh veggies. T

his grit bowl is savory, filling, fresh, and delicious.

We added savory tempeh, broiled corn, fresh tomatoes, and onions, and mixed in some nutritional yeast to give the grits a cheesy kick.

This vegan grit bowl is perfect any time of day, super simple to throw together, and one of our easy summertime go to meals.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup old fashioned dry grits

• 4 cups water

• 1 - 2 ears of corn

• 1 tomato

• 2 green onions

• 1 - 2 avocados

• 1 package tempeh

• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce as well, but skip the extra salt if you do)

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook grits according to package instructions.

2. Turn oven on broil and place shucked and cleaned corn on a baking pan. Once the oven is hot and the coils are red, place the pan in the oven and let the corn cook a few minutes. You just want it to get some nice color on the corn. Carefully remove the pan and turn the ears of corn using some tongs. Place back in the oven and let the other side cook a few minutes. Allow the corn to cool before cutting it off the cob using a sharp knife. I like to prop the ear of corn in a bowl and cut down the cob. The bowl helps hold the corn and catches the kernels.

3. While the grits are cooking, cut tempeh into cubes. Whisk aminos, maple syrup, liquid smoke, garlic, paprika in a shallow dish and add the tempeh. Toss to coat.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh along with the marinade. Allow the tempeh to cook for about 5 - 7 minutes, turning each piece until each side is a little crisp and all of the liquid has been absorbed.

5. Dice onions, tomatoes, and avocados.

6. Mix in nutritional yeast with the cooked grits along with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Assemble bowls by adding a few scoops of grits. Top the grits with the tempeh, corn, tomatoes, onion, and avocados. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4.

If you liked this recipe, then try these:

Southern Tofu Scallops and Grits

Vegan Fried Cheese Grits

Tofu or Seitan Marengo with Lemon Polenta

This tempeh grit bowl is savory, filling, fresh, and delicious.

Vegan Fried Cheese Grits

In the south, we eat grits.

In the south we also love to fry all kinds of things that were not originally intended to be fried! So cheese grits are no exception to that rule!

These grits are crispy on the outside, and cheesy creamy perfection on the inside.

We dipped ours in vegan ranch, but I think they would be super delicious dipped in some marinara sauce as well.

They are perfect a tasty snack, party food, or even a creative brunch side! I have not attempted to air fry these treats, but I think it would work just fine if you gave them a spray of oil and cooked them for 10-15 minutes or so on 375 degrees.

And if you are one of those people in the sweet grit camp, I urge you to step over to the other side and give these a try. I promise you don’t have to be an absolute convert..just a little open minded..although I will never put sugar on my grits..like, never :)

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dry old fashioned grits

• 2 cups plant milk ( we used almond)

• 2 cups water

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Better Than Bouillon

• 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds, homemade or store bought

• 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese

• 2 green onions, finely diced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 3 cups panko bread crumbs, regular or gluten free (make sure they are vegan, many brands are not)

• 1/2 cup plant based milk

• 2 tablespoons vegan plain yogurt or sour cream ( we used kite hill plain yogurt)

• 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour, or gluten free flour blend

• oil for frying ( we use grapeseed)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring milk, water, and Better Than Bouillon to a boil in a medium/ large pot over medium heat.

2. Once the liquid is boiling, add in the grits and stir. Reduce heat to low, and allow the grits to cook and thicken for about 15 minutes Be sure to stir the grits several times to avoid them sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3. Once grits are done, stir in the cheddar, cream cheese, salt pepper, and green onions.

4. Spray a 9 inch baking pan with some oil and transfer the grits to the pan. Place pan in the fridge for about 4 hours or until the grits seem firm. You can also do this the day before you want to make these. They will be fine hanging out in the fridge for a day or so.

5. Once grits are firm, turn the pan over onto a cutting board. You may have to tap the pan on the counter to get the grits out, but if you sprayed the pan well, they should come right out.

6. Cut the grits into sticks that are about 1/2 inch thick and 4 inches long. They will be a little soft still so just handle them gently to avoid them breaking.

7. Place flour in a shallow dish. In a separate dish wish the milk with the yogurt. In another dish, add the panko.

8. Start by dipping the grit sticks first into the flour, next the milk yogurt mixture, and finally into the panko. Repeat with all of the grits sticks.

9. Heat a large deep skillet with about an inch of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is nice and hot, fry the grits sticks 3 or 4 at a time, turning them with tongs to make sure they get crispy on all sides. They only need a few minutes in the oil to get them nice and crisp. Line a baking sheet with some paper towels and place a cooling rack on top. Place finished grits on the cooling rack while you finish frying the rest.

10. Serve fried cheese grits with vegan ranch or marinara sauce.

Reheat fried cheese grits in a 350 degree oven until crisp

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Southern Tofu Scallops and Grits

Fried Vegan Mozzarella Bites

Vegan Gorgonzola Fried Brussels Sprouts

Southern Tofu Scallops and Grits

Growing up, shrimp and grits were a favorite of mine. I am from the south and in the south we eat grits with just about anything!

Once we went vegan I longed for a bowl of delicious shrimps and grits and knew there had to be a way to mimic the classic without the shrimp or other animal products.

I quickly learned tofu makes a great scallop substitute and decided tofu scallops would be a close enough second for my favorite dish!

Well it worked well enough to satisfy my craving and now its my husband and oldest daughters favorite dish! It cooks up pretty quick and is the perfect comfort food any time of year!

The tofu scallops are savory with a kick of citrus. The grits are prefectly creamy with a zest of lemon. We add cream cheese to the grits because cheese grits reign supreme over any other grit ever!!

So if you have had a hankering for some shrimp and grits since going vegan, maybe this dish will hit the spot. If you have never had a grit, my sincerest apologies, and may I urge you to try them! I am pretty sure if you eat them this way, you are gonea love them!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Package extra firm tofu

• 2 cups sliced mushrooms

• 1 small diced onion

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon

• 2 tablespoons water water

• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine, like chardonnay

• 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos

• Juice from 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon parsley

• 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning, I use Trader Joes 21 season salute

• 1-2 green onions or chives for garnish.

The Grits

• 1 cups of dried grits (not instant)

• 2 cups plant based milk

• 3 cups water

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese

• 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest

• pepper to taste

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drain tofu, and wrap up in a clean kitchen towel, or some paper towels. Place a few books on top and let sit for 5 minutes to press out the excess liquid.

2. Cut tofu in half length wise, and using an 1 inch circle cutter, cut scallops from the 2 pieces tofu. You can use the scraps as well or save them to make something else later, like tofu ricotta.

3. In a shallow dish mix 2 tablespoons of wine, Worcestershire sauce, and aminos. Add the tofu and let marinade for 15 mintues.

4. In a large pot or dutch oven, bring the milk and water to a boil for the grits. Once the liquid is boiling, add in the grits, salt, and butter. Lower the heat to low, and allow the grits to simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. This takes about 15- 20 minutes. The grits can cook and thicken while you prepare the tofu.  Once the grits are thick, stir in the cream cheese, pepper, and lemon zest.

5. In large high side skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat. Add the tofu scallops along with marinade and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes, or until they begin to brown and crisp, and all of the liquid is absorbed. Once tofu is done, remove from the pan and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of butter back to the pan, along with the mushrooms, and onions. Cook until the onions become translucent, then add the wine, Better Than Bouillon, water, lemon juice, minced garlic, and seasoning. Allow the wine to cook down for several minutes, then add the tofu back to the pan. Let the tofu simmer on low heat in the sauce for 10-15 minutes.

6. To serve, scoop some grits into each bowl and top with tofu scallops and sauce. Garnish with chopped green onions or chives.

serves 4-6