Braised Collard Greens ♥

Today's Vegetable Recipe: Fresh collard greens braised with garlic, a touch of sugar and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Weight Watchers 1 point and low-carb. Traditional at New Year's.

Since greens are a traditional way to bring on financial fortune in the new year, I half expected to hold this recipe, if it turned out, til next year. But the collard greens turned out so well, were so easy and tasted soo good, I decided not to wait.

Besides, if the pile of collards at my local supermarket on Monday is a prediction, it should be easy to find collard greens for the next few days. Plus, if there's a season for hearty greens like collards, kale and chard, it's right now and through the next couple of months -- one of the few fresh vegetables right in the middle of winter.

LEFTOVERS These taste good cold, too! The leftovers will be chopped up and sprinkled with lemon juice for a quick lunch salad.

BUDGET IDEAS Bunches of fresh collard greens were selling for $1.35 a pound. For $3, there were also one-pound bags of fresh collards, already cleaned and chopped. Collards are especially easy to clean and chop, it took maybe 10 minutes. That makes the 'convenience' factor worth about $10 an hour.

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VEGETABLE RECIPES for DIETERS from the ARCHIVES
~ more leafy green recipes ~
~ more low carb vegetable recipes ~
~ more low-point Weight Watchers vegetable recipes ~

~ two years ago today Spinach, Artichoke & Bacon Dip ~

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Hands-on time: maybe 15 minutes with occasional attention afterward
Time to table: maybe an hour
Serves 4 with large-ish servings, 8 in small-ish ones

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound fresh collard greens, cleaned, trimmed & chopped (see below for more detail)
1 cup chicken broth (I used the leftover giblet stock)
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic, the inspiring recipe called for cider vinegar)
2 teaspoons sugar (don't skip this, it really helps counter the bitterness that greens can get when cooked)
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste

(If you're cleaning/prepping the greens yourself, you may want to do so before starting the skillet.) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet til shimmery. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the greens, stirring to coat. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook til tender about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Serving 4, Per Serving: 78 Cal (40% from Fat, 17% from Protein, 44% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 9 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb5; 3 g Sugar; 167 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 166 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Serving 8, Per Serving: 39 Cal (40% from Fat, 17% from Protein, 44% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 2 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 5 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb4; 1 g Sugar; 84 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 83 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Comes from a recipe demonstration at my local Schnuck's grocery store in Kirkwood

HOW TO CLEAN/CHOP COLLARD GREENS Wash the greens well. I rinse them under slightly warm running water. Others like to let greens soak in water for a few minutes to loosen any dirt, then rinse well. Trim away any rough stems pieces or bruised leaves. Cut out the stems from all the leaves, collect together and chop into one-inch pieces. Roll 1 - 2 leaves into 'cigar rolls'. Holding a roll with your fingers, to hold it together, slice into it lengthwise. Then cut cross-wise.

KITCHEN NOTES
I suspect that these collards could be braised with no fat, which would bring the Weight Watchers point value to zero.
I cooked these just til tender, so there was still plenty of structure and chewiness. This went over well with the grown-ups at the table but the 'kids' were less excited. Next time I might cook them to the point of butter-iness.
Heavy greens like collards, I think, can be served in slightly smaller servings. I think of a pound serving 8, not 4, as is usual for vegetables here on A Veggie Venture.

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2008