Veggie-Loaded Grits

Customizable to the veggies in your fridge or garden, this is an easy weeknight meal that reheats well for leftovers. 

First, roast your veggies! I use sheet pans and put different veggies on different sides of the pan in case they need to be taken out earlier or later than the others. Roast your favorite combo of these veggies:

Whole okra pods
Large chunks sweet peppers
Large chunks onion
summer squash slices
1/2" thick tomato slices
halved Mountain Magic tomatoes
whole cherry tomatoes
Chile peppers if you like heat

For my version, I did the okra, red peppers, onions, and mountain magic tomatoes in an oven at 400 F. I took out the peppers and onions early and let the okra and tomatoes go for longer. 

While those veggies are roasting, prepare your grits. We sell the Deep Roots Milling grits in our Barn Store and they are so flavorful. The instructions tell you to boil the salted water, then slowly pour in the grits while stirring. I make extra so I can have leftovers. Cook the grits to your own texture preference, stirring frequently towards the end so they don't stick. I found that the grits and the veggies were done about the same time, approx 30 minutes. Stir in butter and cheese of choice and serve with hot sauce and black pepper. Equally good piping hot as it is at room temp. To re-heat, the microwave works just fine or you can do it on the stove, adding a drop more water to loosen the grits. It would be really easy to add some cooked sausage, shrimp or other protein to this dish to make it more hearty, but it is pleasantly filling without being heavy as a vegetarian meal.