GRITS A YA YA

Steps:

• As a quick note before you start: having everything prepped and ready to toss together ahead of time will save time. You can also multitask by starting the grits first and, while they cook, whip up the sauce and shrimp. This way they'll all be done around the same time so you can plate it all up and dig in!
• First bring vegetable broth to a boil in medium-sized pot.
• At a rolling boil, add in grits and stir constantly [this doubles as an arm workout - score!]
• Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When the grits start to soak up the broth, add in the evaporated milk and stir.
• Once their time is just about up, fold in the butter and heavy cream.
• Lastly add the grated gouda and stir thoroughly until smooth and creamy.
• While the grits are simmering away, bring a large non-stick pan to medium heat and saute the white/yellow onion and garlic in a teeny drizzle of your favorite healthy oil, taking care not to burn the garlic.
• Once tender, add in butter, mushrooms, and shrimp and saute until the shrimp are just barely opaque before scooping out the shrimp and setting them aside. This way when you add the shrimp back to the pan they can continue cooking without overcooking. You can also choose to simply saute the shrimp at the very end, if desired!
• After removing the shrimp, add spinach, green onion, milk, and heavy cream and allow it to simmer while you stir to reduce the sauce.
• Once it reaches desired thickness, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and a dash of hot sauce, to taste.
• Pour sauce into a bowl and add a drizzle of oil to your now-empty pan.
• Turn up the heat and finish cooking the shrimp, seasoning it with garlic powder, cayenne, parsley and salt, if desired.
• Ready to eat? Spoon the sauce and shrimp onto heaping mounds of the cheese grits and top with chopped green onion and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Make token "MMMmmMMmm!" sounds as you shove heaping spoonfuls into your face.