Summer in a Bowl

Our refrigerator is filled with fresh summer produce.  As okra is in season, I buy a bag of it every week, but my son is not a fan.  Thus I wanted to create a meal that would combine okra with his favorite vegetables in a way that he could not resist.

In "Troubleshooting" I talk about various ways to make foods more enticing to children, and one of my favorites for new eaters and finicky toddlers is to create what they call in Goodnight Moon, a "bowl full of mush."  As a Southerner, that mush is occasionally grits, which are nothing more than coarsely ground corn.  Most people think of them as a breakfast food, but those people have never experienced shrimp and grits with a fine white wine, but I digress.  Grits, though less nutritious than other "cereals," as both the germ and bran have been removed, do a great job of absorbing the flavor of items cooked with them, but for the purpose of children, they can create a smoother texture than other "mush" options like oatmeal.

Thus armed with grits, fresh okra, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic, I set out to cook a meal that would be healthy and bursting with summer flavors:

Summer in a Bowl

Shuck four ears of corn (or one per person) and cut off the kernels.  Spread them evenly on a baking sheet with a light sprinkle of salt, pepper, and cayenne, if you like a kick.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400.

Wash okra and steam them until tender.  Once skin is moist, sprinkle with pepper and salt.

Dice half of a bell pepper and five sizable cloves of garlic and sauté them in 2T of EVOO.  After three to five minutes, add milk for the grits per instructions on package.  Add grits and start to stir.  Add more liquid as needed.  Once the mixture is bubbling gently, add the baked corn and low-fat shredded cheese to taste, reduce heat, and continue to stir for about five minutes.

Dice tomatoes and place them over the grits.  For children, dice the okra and mix it into the grits, but for adults, I like to leave it on the side as a finger food.

The only part of this meal that involves any attention is stirring the grits, which is a small investment in a meal that bursts with sweet bites of corn and pepper, is packed with Vitamins A, C, and K, and at only 548 calories for an entire meal, is a light way to enjoy a flavorful summer meal.