Hoppin' John Stew with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

So I had never before heard of Hoppin' John Stew, even though it completely sounds like something I would have at least tried before. But it caught my eye around the holidays as I was flipping through my Southern Living Recipes of 2010 cookbook, and everything in it sounded perfect! We've actually had this twice since the beginning of the year because it made enough to freeze leftovers--and both times Bobby all but licked the bowl clean! And so did I, who am I kidding?

I thought it would be timely to post this because I've found myself struggling with recipes as we transition between the seasons and I thought others may feel that way too. The very cold Winter months are a good time for heavy casseroles, stews, chili, etc. but now that we're thawing out of our deep freeze and creeping ever-so-slowly into Spring temperatures, I find myself wishing for tilapia and summer salads--but we're not quite there yet! So it's difficult to find the happy medium. But I do think this recipe is a good one for the end of Winter because although it's a stew and definitely feels like comfort food, it's not TOO heavy and has just enough of a kick to it!

I'll also say this was my first time making grits...and I didn't do very well! I'm not a grits expert by any means, so it was hard for me to gauge when they were fully cooked, and I made them a little underdone the first time around. The second time I called in Bobby and his South Carolinian heritage to offer grits-cooking wisdom. He had a way of knowing just by the resistance he had stirring them at certain intervals how done they were...and they weren't ready until MUCH after I would have taken them off. So if you are new to grits, I advise you keep them on the stove for a while after you think they're done, just to be sure. We also adjusted the recipe some to be low-sodium friendly, and it was all still delicious.

Hoppin' John Stew

1 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped smoked ham (I picked up sliced low-sodium ham from our deli)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained (I opted for two cans of No Salt Added tomatoes and added a 10oz can of green chiles separately)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (couldn't find any, dried cilantro worked fine, but just do a few shakes of it)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add ham and onion, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, green chiles, corn and sugar. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro. Serve immediately over White Cheddar Cheese Grits.

White Cheddar Cheese Grits

2 cups chicken broth (the first time I did one cup broth and 1 cup water; the second time all water and couldn't tell a difference)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded white cheddar cheese

Bring chicken broth and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Superfood Salad

I'm obsessed with this salad. Obsessed. It's like someone (or my AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner app) took all of my favorite things and put them in a salad. This recipe is clearly intended to feed 4 people, and Bobby and I shamelessly ate the whole thing. But when you're eating something that is so packed with superfoods, and they're so YUMMY, that it's just impossible to stop! It was pretty quick for a Tuesday night, too.

Basically, we've had lots of good dinners this week, but nothing will top this salad in my mind.


Superfood Salad

2 salmon fillets, grilled
2 Tbs butter
pepper to taste
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I just used the whole container)
12 grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
a few handfuls of spinach, washed and dried, enough to make a salad (original recipe actually calls for leaf lettuce, but spinach is so much better for you)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and cubed
5 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (we were out so I used some Champagne dressing)
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (I used what was left in our container, probably more like 3 oz)

While grilling salmon (or use leftovers), saute mushrooms in butter over medium heat until tender. In a large salad bowl add Spinach, salmon, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, cilantro, jalepeno, and feta. Sprinkle generously with pepper. Toss with olive oil and white vinegar (or other type of vinaigrette you've got on hand) and serve immediately.

Really, there are so many things going on in this salad, that I can understand the doubt about them combining well. But they combine like heaven in my salad bowl and I'm mad at myself because I've had this recipe for over a year and never tried it until this week! But the important thing is I have it now :-)

We finished the evening with homemade chocolate chip cookies (see January 2010 for recipe).