Frugal Fridays – Braised Collard Greens, and an Invitation to Join Me

One of my favorite colors is green.  Just looking at these collards makes me feel so healthy.

I often have vegetables lurking about in the refrigerator, next to the butter, eggs, and cream (heh, heh), that need to get used up.  Traditional Southern-style collards are cooked a long time, with a ham hock and some butter.  Because of the high fat consumption around here due to my baking, I really try to cook as healthfully as I can, so a few years ago I started experimenting with collards, and this is what I came up with.

Clean and trim a bunch of collards (about 1 to 1.5 pounds), discarding the thick stalks.  Do not dry off the collards.  Chop coarsely and set aside.  Chop 3 cloves of garlic (more if you like a strong garlic flavor), and set aside.

In a heavy bottomed pot, over medium heat, preheat a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Toss in the garlic and a large pinch of red pepper flakes, and stir for about 30 seconds.  Don’t let it burn.  Add the collards, and enough vegetable or chicken broth to just cover them.  Add some kosher salt and pepper, and some garlic powder if you like. Bring to a low boil, boil for about 7 minutes, then turn down the heat to medium low, cover, and cook gently for another 23 minutes.  Check to see if the collards are tender (they won’t be mushy like traditional collards), and adjust seasoning.

Are you cooking frugally? If you are, and want to join me, send me an email  by noon on Thursdays, linking to something you made in the past week.  There are only three rules: (1) you made it in the past week,  (2) you made the dish (it can by anything – appetizer, baked good, etc.) with ingredients that you had on hand in your home or garden, and (3) link back to this blog and mention Frugal Fridays.  I’ll add the link to my post.  If somehow I miss you, or I’m out of town, or your email gets to me after noon, I’ll include you in the following week’s post.