straight up veg

April Fools!

At first look, this doesn’t look vegetarian – BUT, no animals or sea creatures were harmed in the creation of this dish. I used mushrooms to depict both the faux scallops and bacon bits to create this twist on an Southern American classic.

**Feel free to click on the red links for photo references**

MUSHROOM “BACON” INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of button mushrooms, finely minced (approx. 10 mushrooms)
• 1/2 tbsp magic vegan bacon grease (substitute: coconut oil or olive oil)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt

MUSHROOM “SCALLOPS” & SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 3 large king oyster mushrooms, stems sliced at 1.5″ thickness
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 cup green onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp all purpose flour
• 4 tbsp butter (substitute: olive oil)
• 1/4 cup of minced bell pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable stock (I used bouillon broth)
• salt to taste
• 1/8 cup mushroom “bacon”

CHEDDAR GRITS INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white corn grits
• 1 tbsp butter (substitute: margarine or  coconut oil)
• 1 cup heavy cream (substitute: cashew milk)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (substitute: 1/2 cup vegan cheese)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Mushroom “bacon”: In a pan, heat olive oil, “bacon” grease and mushrooms on medium-high heat, followed by paprika, cayenne, liquid smoke and salt. Cook for approx. 20 minutes, or until lightly crispy and browned.
2. Mushroom “scallops”: Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat, and add king oyster mushrooms. Cook on each side for 5 minutes, or until deep golden on each side.
3. Sauce: In a pot, make a roux by melting butter on medium-high heat, and add flour. Mix for 5 minutes then add bell pepper, mushroom “bacon”, onion and garlic. Mix for 5 minutes, then add veg stock, lemon juice and parsley. Stir on low heat for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
4. Grits: In a pot boil 3 cups of water on medium high heat. Add grits and stir. Once it starts to thicken slightly, add cream, cheddar and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until cheese has melted.
5. Serve “scallops” with sauce on grits. Garnish with any extra mushroom “bacon” bits and chopped parsley. Enjoy 🙂