Southern Collard Greens

From the kitchen of Dr. Barrett
 
I grew up in Georgia but didn’t develop an appreciation for collard greens until moving to the Midwest. I was getting a little tired of kale and wanted to add some variety to my leafy green repertoire. Collard greens brings up images from my childhood of soggy overcooked greens with large pieces of bacon fat, not a pretty picture. Luckily, I overcame my bias against collard greens and now this mild tasting leafy green is a staple in my diet. The recipe below is one of my favorite ways to eat collard greens.

Download the recipe
Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 bunches of collards washed and chopped into bite sized pieces
• chicken or vegetable stock
• white vinegar
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• (optional) chopped smoked turkey​

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Directions:

1. Place chopped collards into a dutch oven or deep pan for braising
2. Pour enough stock into the pot to fill about 1/4-1/2" deep
3. Sprinkle with cayenne as desired
4. Increase heat to med-high until stock comes to a boil
5. Turn heat to a simmer and cover
6. Let cook for about 30 minutes while stirring occasionally. Collards should be a dark green color and soft.
7. Turn off the heat then splash collards with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar. Enough to give them a slight bite.
8. Season with salt as desired.
9. (optional) Add some chopped smoked turkey at the end to add some more depth and flavor. ​

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Dr. Sara Jean Barrett is a registered Naturopathic Doctor and co-founder of Wellness Minneapolis. She is also the President of the Minnesota Association of Naturopathic Physicians and a Member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.