Gluten Free Cheesy Shrimp & Grits

After seeing a shrimp and grits dish whipped up on one of my favorite Food Network shows, I just had to see what the fuss was all about.  The recipe is easy, relatively quick to put together, and sooooo good! Feel free to double the amount of shrimp I used. The more shrimp the merrier!  I decided to mix everything up together, but you can opt to top the cheesy grits with the shrimp mixture and eat it that way. Either way I'm sure you won't be disappointed:)  You can use any GF corn grits you want, but I used Bob's Red Mill GF Grits.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water (+ more to keep grits moist)
• 1 cup grits (aka polenta)
• 3 tblsp butter
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 6 slices bacon - pork or turkey (chopped)
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 2 tblsp parsley (chopped)
• 1 cup scallions (thinly sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil. Add some salt and pepper and the grits. Cook for 20-25 minutes.  If grits start to look dry, keep adding splashes of water to keep it moist and creamy. 
2. Meanwhile...  Rinse shrimp and pat dry. 
3. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well and chop up. 
4. In the bacon grease, cook the shrimp on medium heat until pink.  Add the lemon juice, chopped bacon, chopped parsley, scallions and garlic.  Saute for another 3 minutes.
5. Remove grits from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese.  YUM!
6. Either mix up everything together, or spoon grits into bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately and chow down!
7. Enjoy!