Vegan Collard Greens, Home Cookin' Style.

In case you missed the boat on this one- move over kale, collard greens are my new favourite Green Thing to have mass quantities of. I predict, dear foodie friends, that collard greens will experience a renaissance from charming Southern side dish to main course superfood within the next year.

Why?

Collard greens elicits a wealth of beautiful wide, flat leaves with a pleasing firmness and texture, like high quality thick paper or parchment. They're easy to dice up or to leave whole as a burrito or cold roll wrap. When cooked, they don't shrivel to nothing like spinach or kale does; no! Collard greens have too much personality and pluck. A dish made primarily from these green divas will pleasingly fill your bowl with texture and substance. But that's not all!

Let me tell you what is in these beautiful babies, nutritionally.
one tiny (packed) cup of cooked collard greens holds:

vitamin K1045%

vitamin A308.3%

vitamin C57.6%

folate44.1%

manganese41.5%

calcium26.6%

fiber21.2%

tryptophan15.6%

choline14.2%

iron12.2%

vitamin B612%

vitamin B211.7%

magnesium9.5%

vitamin E8.3%

protein8%

omega-3 fats7.5%

potassium6.2%

phosphorus5.7%

vitamin B35.4%

vitamin B15.3%

vitamin B5          4.1%

(Chart comes from this website: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=138)

Amazing, RIGHT??? 

Per densely packed cup of collard greens, there's more calcium than in MILK. Take that, Milk Board (tm).  

To celebrate this, let me present to you my new favourite collard greens dish: 

Vegan Southern-Style Collard Greens. 

1 head of collard greens, washed very well and cut into 2 inch chunks, roughly. 

1 large onion diced

1 block of tempeh crumbled/diced 

2 stalks celery diced 

1 green pepper diced

2 cloves garlic 

1 c. veggie broth

1 T red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/8 tsp oil 

1 generous dash lemon juice. 

1 dash (or to taste) liquid smoke

Heat oil in a deep frypan and saute the onions until translucent. 

grind the black pepper over the onions, and add the garlic, celery and green pepper. 

Cook for 2 more minutes. 

add the tempeh and the liquid smoke and about 1/4 of the veggie broth. Cook for another couple of minutes, stirring regularly. 

Add the lemon juice and red pepper flakes, and cook for another minute. 

Add the rest of the veggie broth and deglaze the pan, moving the mixture well. 

Add the diced collard greens and stir until the greens are well coated. Cover and steam for 20 minutes or less. 

I dare you not to eat the whole pan. I did last night!!