Servings: 8 Prep: 5 min Cook: 15 min Total: 20 min
Update: On 4/15/2013, I learned that the hominy labels had been very inaccurate, due to a 60 year old test report. I’ve left the following notes and recipes intact, but the nutrition has changed. I no longer consider this to be a very low carb recipe, even though it works and is definitely delicious. Read more here … >
Grits are corn. No two ways about it. Corn is mostly frowned upon within a low-carb way of life, due to the sugar and starches they contain, in abundance! This makes me a bit sad, in that I happen to LOVE corn, going so far as growing my own, once upon a time!
Then, a while back, I discovered there was a low-carb version of hominy, which results from the heirloom variety of corn being used and the treatment it undergoes. Somehow, this results in a tasty corn based product, which is approximately 4 net carbs per half cup. You can read a little more about the history of this findings in my Pork Tamales recipe.
Anywhooo …. grits come from a Native American origin, where it was ground. It is more likely known as a Southern US breakfast food; something like porridge. This is what we have here. This stuff takes the PERFECT place for what you used to call “a starch”. Imagine some shredded pork on top of this, with a side of broccoli. OH … YUM!
Note: I used a mixture of half almond meal and half pureed hominy. You COULD just use the straight hominy puree, but I find it holds together a little better with the almond meal, while additionally dropping the carbs per serving. Choose your own adventure!
Portion Note: Makes approximately 4 cups or 8 one-half-cup servings.
Grits (or Polenta)
Print RateIngredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup cream heavy whipping
- 1/4 cup fresh whole butter
- 1 cup "mexican style" hominy
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup cheddar/colby cheese blend shredded (sharp cheddar or parmesan are both delicious alternatives)
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place your water, cream and butter on the stove in a medium sized sauce pot. Bring it up to a slow simmer, over medium heat. Once it simmers, drop the heat to low.
- While your liquid is heating up, in a food processor, puree your drained hominy. Depending on the food processor, you may need to add a touch of water in order for it to get moving.
- Once your liquid is simmering, pour your almond meal into the water, while whisking at the same time. Continue whisking for about 30 more seconds, to ensure the almond flour is well mixed in and free of clumps.
- Whisk in your hominy puree. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. It will continue to thicken for a few minutes.
- Add a little salt and pepper and then add your grated cheese. Whisk this in, until it melts and is fully incorporated.
- Taste the grits. These can handle a good amount of salt. Adjust accordingly. As they cook, they will continue to thicken (and create a smoother product). If you want to thin it out, add a little more water or cream. If you wan to thicken it up, just let it simmer for a few more minutes. Be sure to stir frequently! The total amount of cooking time can be as little as about 7 minutes, to upwards of 30.
- When ready, serve!
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
Being from the South (NC) I can’t wait to try this recipe! I thought grits were gone forever!! Thanks so much for the work you have put into this site….all these new recipes are going to be awesome!
I thought they were, too! Don’t get me wrong, this is a slightly different animal, but it’s still a big offwhite warm puddle of yumminess, which hits just the same spot. Let me know what you think!
Howdy there! Have you tried using the little baby corns that are in stir fry? The can I have has 4 carbs, 4 grams fiber, so nets 0 carbs. I have a couple of cans in my pantry, and wanted to try a polenta, or tamale, but I’m a big chicken. Was just curious if you have experimented. 🙂 Love your blog so much!
Hi Anita. Thanks for the kind words! I can’t say that I have, to be honest. HOWEVER, I’ve seen recipes that seem to use the Mexican Style Hominy almost interchangeably from the Baby Corn. While I haven’t personally tried it, I know trustworthy bloggers that HAVE tried it. I think I can fairly confidently tell you that they can be used in exactly the same fashion. Please let me know how it turns out!
Hi DJ~
Has there been any update on the Hominy Wars? I’ve looked for nutrition labels online for several Mexican Hominy processors but that’s like needle in haystack territory.
I like the idea of baby corn (although I am wary of them being 0 NET carbs), perhaps dehydrating it and trying to use it as a grit that way?
Thanks for all you do!
~Qu
Hi, Qu. I suspect it’ll be another 60 years before we get another update! 😉 While I don’t think baby corn is zero, I do know that in micro/baby grains and vegetables that the starches haven’t fully developed. So, it stands to reason that it’ll be MUCH lower in starch than the adult counterparts. I couldn’t even begin to guess the actual numbers, though. Yes, you could probably wash them and them dry them, but it would take some dedication to get them dry enough to powder. Could be a fun experiment, though. Let me know if you come up with anything useful! I love these kinds of things, but … also know it’s 1 in a million who would actually go so far as to dry and powder their own baby corn for grits. Interesting reading, but … not quite "instant gratification", now … is it? 😉