Learning to love collard greens

I’ve enjoyed a lot of sweet treats this weekend and as much as I’ve enjoyed every  bite, it always leave me wanting for more and more sugar.

I’m glad it’s Monday because I’m back to my routine of eating healthy food, which means I try to get my dose of vegetables and fruits in during the day.

One dish that I love to cook when I crave vegetables is collard greens.

About a year ago, I bought my first ever fresh bunch of collard greens. I didn’t know what it looked like, never tasted it before and the only thing I knew about it was that it was often used in Southern dishes. I walked into Wholefoods (after I googled a picture of collard greens) and slowly walked down the vegetable aisle.

I picked up a bunch and thought, it doesn’t look that intimidating (unlike the first time I bought Kale).

One of my favorite cookbooks is The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. There are so many tasty recipes. After seeing the recipe in the cookbook, I became curious and wanted to try collard greens.

Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins

Ingredients

• 1 bunch collard greens
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Use a sharp knife to cut out the central rib and stem from each collard leaf. Rinse the leaves in a sink of cool water, lifting them into a colander to drain a bit (you want some water to remain on the leaves).

Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet for about 5 minutes or until golden. Shake the pan often to keep the pine nuts from burning. Transfer to a plate, and set aside. (I mixed both pine nuts and sunflower seeds).

Place the garlic and oil in a large skillet, and sauté over medium heat for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the damp collards and stir, then cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Optional: Instead of throwing away the stems, I kept them and chopped them really small and sauteed them before adding the collards.

Add the raisins and pine nuts, and stir. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, cover, and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

I can eat this whole serving by myself. I love it that much.

There are complex flavors to this dish. The sweetness from the raisins and the crunch from the nuts, helps balance out the flavor from the vinegar.

I’ve heard many people say collard greens are bitter, but I don’t taste any bitterness at all from this recipe.

(Picture from the cookbook The Kind Diet)

If you have never tried collard greens before, you should, it’s good for you.

If you’ve tried and didn’t like it, you should try making this recipe and try it again.

If you like collard greens, then you will love this dish.

Have you tasted collard greens before? Do you have any good recipes for collard greens?

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