Roasted Poblano & Corn Grits w/ Chorizo

Remember when I mentioned that my eyes have been bothering me? Well, I ended up going to the optometrist later that day. After my exam I found out that I still have 20/20 vision but since I have to read a lot in graduate school and am on the computer ALL the time-- the muscles in my eyes have become very strained. So I was given a prescription for glasses-- a "stress relieving" lens. The optometrist said that they would magnify what I see so that my eye muscles could rest. I am a bit split on glasses, really I feel like a 8th grader who just found out they need glasses and is attempting to deal with it in the most dramatic way possible ;)

On one hand, I am excited to get glasses and pretty darn eager, because my eyes have only gotten worse since then. I cannot even be on the computer for 5 minutes before my eyes starting hurting and if I continue I will get a horrible headache :/ Which in grad school, is no bueno. Thankfully my new Ultrabook lets me magnify the screen, which has helped a little, but I really need to be able to work again with no looming headache. But on the other hand, although I am a huge nerd and have accepted that fact-- glasses epitomizes and solidifies my status as extra nerdy AND I don't even know if I look nice in them. Taking the hubby did not really help- I definitely need a girl's opinion. The hubby kept saying "nice" to everything :/ I'll post pictures when they come in-- hopefully they look good. Though, I guess if they do not-- I only have to wear them for reading and when on the computer.

I never heard of grits until I started dating the hubby. He would always get oatmeal. I wanted to get into breakfast but did not want something sweet- and one day when we were at the grocery store together, he suggested that I try grits. I had not tried them before, so I was willing to try something new. I really liked it! And later, when we went to Houston's famous Breakfast Klub, I had catfish and grits. I realized that grits does not necessarily have to be a breakfast food (ironic since we had it at the Breakfast Klub ;). Since I'm still on this kick to try really different things and I had not had grits in awhile-- I thought I would try this recipe. Plus, I really like chorizo, so this recipe was really calling my name ;) It ended up being a fantastic recipe-- super yummy-- the hubby ate it up! 

ROASTED POBLANO & CORN GRITS W/ CHORIZO

Adapted slightly from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 400F Degrees

2 medium poblano peppers
Olive oil (for brushing)
1 c. milk
3 c. water
1 tbsp. garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. quick cooking grits (not instant)
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
2 tbsp. butter
2 links, Mexican chorizo

DIRECTIONS

Before baking, remove stem, seed pod and remaining seeds from the poblano peppers. Brush the outside of the poblano peppers with olive oil. Place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat, aluminum foil or parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes (until tender). Allow poblano peppers to cool for a few minutes. Once slightly cooled, gently peel away as much of the thick skin as possible. The steam from the baking will cause some of the skin to already begins separating from the flesh. Once peeled, dice the peppers into small chunks. Set aside.

When poblano peppers are baking-- in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, saute garlic until golden brown and fragrant. Then add in milk, water, salt, and pepper. Bring the contents to a boil. Once boiling, stir in grits and chopped poblano peppers. Bring grits to a boil again, and then reduce heat to a medium-low-- simmering, with the lid on, for 5-7 minutes or until grits have thickened. While grits are simmering, microwave thawed corn for about 2 minutes. Then stir corn into grits, until evenly distributed. Add in butter and continue mixing until completely melted.

While cooking the grits, you can also prepare the chorizo. Slice chorizo into medallions. Then in a skillet over medium heat, saute the chorizo until cooked through (chorizo will appear more "brown" in color), aproximately 7-10 minutes.

In a bowl, scoop out approximately one cup of grits and top with sliced chorizo. 

I served this dish with a side of sweet potato fries :)

Enjoy,
Chika