Southern Collard Greens

I hope each of you enjoyed a happy, relaxing Thanksgiving with some great vegetarian food!

 

I'm so excited that I finally have a good vegetarian recipe for Southern collard greens, and would you believe it came from Food Network Magazine and not from family or friends?  See, the deal is that most people in the South make their greens with ham or other meat seasonings.  In fact, the magazine's recipe called for bacon (What recipe does not call for bacon these days?) and chicken broth, but I just decided I'd go for it without any meat seasonings and see if it turned out.  There were plenty of other seasonings in the recipe, so I felt it would probably be ok.  And it is!  Here's how I did it, adapted from their recipe:

 

 

Ingredients:
2 bunches collard greens, washed
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 t. Cajun seasoning
4 c. vegetable broth
4 c. water (and more, if needed or desired)
apple cider vinegar, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

First, tear out the large stems from the greens and discard.  (My dogs like to eat them.)  Chop the greens into, oh, about 1 - 1 1/2-inch pieces. It doesn't have to be perfect.

In a large pot, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chopped collard greens in batches, allowing each batch to get coated in oil and wilt down enough to accommodate the next batch.  Add vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the greens are tender, about 1 - 1.5 hours.

Add vinegar (I only used a couple of splashes.), hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.  Serves 4 - 6 as a side dish.

Greens are delicious and outrageously healthy.  I served them with crowder peas, cornbread, and a Cajun rice pilaf (which I'll give the recipe for soon).  Hope you enjoy the greens!