Don’t let the vegan label fool you. I am very much a southern girl and the thought of making collard greens without the slow cooking of a ham-hock made me shiver. However, I decided to give it a try after picking up the book Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry.
These collard greens are the first recipe in the book and apparently the inspiration for creating vegan soul kitchen. I made these collard green last night and really enjoyed them. The sweetness of the dried cranberries, mix with the citrus on the orange juice and the spice of the garlic are a perfect combination. Plus this version take minutes as opposed to hours compared to traditional southern greens.
I’ve adjusted a few of the original ingredients for my taste and you can be sure to do the same for yourself.
Vegan Collard Greens with Cranberry Redux
INGREDIENTS
-
- 2 large bunches collard greens, ribs removed, cut into a chiffonade, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
DIRECTIONS
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the collards.
- Remove the collards from the heat, drain, and plunge them into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color of the greens. Drain by gently pressing the greens against a colander.
- In a medium-size sauté pan, combine the olive oil and the garlic and raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the collards, crandberries, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add orange juice and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should be bright green). Season with additional salt to taste if needed and serve immediately.
Adapted From Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry. Copyright © 2009 by Bryant Terry.
Veggie Curls 