Biscuits, cheezy grits, baked beans, and collard greens

Hello, and welcome to the Blue Barn Farm and Sanctuary. This week I had a hankerin’ for some serious kitchen time. We are often so over-glorifying “busy”, and meal prep ends up being a one-pot dish. It used to be the thing that helped build community. Now it seems like it’s usually something quick and easy. We are searching for fast but still healthy and satisfying. Not this time! I went all out. I spent several hours in the kitchen. This is not a meal to make when you are in a hurry. In true southern fashion, this ridiculously delicious and super filling meal is best done on slow speed, with the Meters playing over the radio.

I have always been a lover of southern style food, and finding vegan recipes for all of this on Noracooks.com was sheer bliss. Stone ground whole wheat homemade organic biscuits. WHAT?!?! Oh yes, you read that right. Paired with homemade vegan baked beans, collard greens, and cheezy grits. Yes indeed, we were fat and happy by the time we finished this meal. The smiles on our faces were only surpassed by the smiles in our bellies!

Individually, each thing on the plate was not difficult or time consuming to make. However, I live in a tiny house, with a 2-burner stove-top, and relatively limited counter space. So to say I had to get a bit strategic with these simultaneous creations would be a fair assessment. First things first: collard greens. The secret to out-of-this-world greens is allowing them time to simmer them down on the lowest heat you can manage, for a decent amount of time. The longer they can simmer, the better they will be.

Then start preheating your oven while you get your baked beans ready. And now that I’m writing this down, I must say, to be honest, these were so much better the next day. So, if you have the time and the where-with-all, make them the day before. They were good right out of the oven, but offering those complex flavors some time to marinate after baking in the oven will really set this dish off. You’ll build your sauce on the stovetop, and then add it to the beans in a casserole dish. Bake them until they are a beautiful hot bubbly mess!

So you have greens simmering on the stove, and beans baking in the oven. It’s time to start thinking about your grits. Now, I was not raised in the south. I remember the first trip I took where we went to a place that had grits on the menu. I had heard of them, sure, but I had never eaten them. At that time, I didn’t realize folks liked them sweet or savory. Personally, I am a savory grits kind-of-gal myself. Here’s something else: I never even thought about using vegetable broth during the cooking process. What was I thinking? I digress, as much as I loved eating grits whenever we were someplace that had them on the menu, I never made them at home. I couldn’t begin to explain why, but it just never happened. Until now! Nora’s recipe for cheezy grits got my mouth watering, and I couldn’t resist.

Last but not least, I whipped up some southern-style vegan buttermilk biscuits because no meal would be complete without a couple of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits on your plate. You will definitely need them to sop up all of the juices from the beans and greens. Break them open with your fork, spread some vegan butter on those bad boys, and revel in the anticipation as you watch it melt. They do require a little bit of effort to make, but it is so worth it! The flavor and freshness is beyond any premade, prepackaged biscuits you will find in the store. Plus, did I mention, that they are organic and 100% plant-based?

My only real critique of this entire meal is that I will need to double the recipe for the greens next time. The leftovers were phenomenal, but there weren’t enough greens to satisfy my desires for the follow-up meals. All in all, this is an easy fix for the future. The grits come together pretty fast, so you can just make enough for each meal while the other stuff is reheating.

Share a meal with your loved ones. Be grateful for the opportunity to spend the time together, for the abundance that provides nourishment to sustain life, and the plants that converted the energy from the sun into fuel for your body. We encourage you to talk about where your food comes from, the processes it has to go through before it shows up on your plate. When we practice mindfulness, we can allow the harmony to come in. There is a natural rhythm to life, and when we tap into that with gratitude, and empathy, we are inviting peace, compassion, and ultimately kindness into our hearts. All good things to be able to offer those around us. From everyone here at the Blue Barn Farm and Sanctuary, be well and be kind.