Steamed or braised collard greens with garlic and a sprinkle of fresh lemon are naturally gluten-free. A relative of the cabbage and broccoli family, they are low carb and rich in fiber and many valuable nutrients, such as vitamins A, C and K, plus several of the B vitamins. They also have a variety of minerals, such as potassium, phosphorus and calcium, to name a few.

These collards can be served as a side for pork loin chops or chicken pieces for a paleo dinner, with a baked sweet potato as another side. I like to accompany them sometimes with Cajun rice or blackeyed peas to complement their texture and flavor for a vegetarian dinner.

In the photo above they are shown with Barbecue Shredded Chicken.

Adding a teaspoon or two of oil, butter or bacon drippings to the pan complements the flavor. They can easily be steamed on top of or braised with a pork sirloin pot roast, chicken breasts or tomato bean soup. Cooking these greens is similar to kale, Swiss chard and mustard greens, except that collards will take longer to cook to be tender.

Collard Greens with Garlic and Lemon

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Makes about 3 servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound of Collard Greens (will make about 6-7 cups raw, or 1-1/2 cups cooked), washed

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1 Cup Water (or Stock), or more if needed

1 Teaspoon Oil, Butter or Bacon Drippings (omit if cooking with meat)

1/2 Fresh Lemon to sprinkle juice over top at serving (or bottled hot sauce, if you like)

Directions:

Cut the stalks from the leaves with a sharp knife on a cutting board, or strip the stalks from the leaves by tearing with your hands; discard the stalks.

Stack several leaves, roll them up and cut into thin strips.

In a Dutch oven with a lid, heat the water or stock to boiling. Add the collard greens, the garlic and the oil (if using it). Cover and reduce heat so that it just simmers.

Cook until the collards are tender. Add more water if needed. Younger, more tender collards will cook faster than more mature leaves. They may take 20 to 45 minutes to cook, but some people steam them only 5-10 minutes. Usually I cook them about 30 minutes, since my husband doesn’t like his veggies very chewy. When they are cooked till tender, he really likes these collard greens.

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