Photo courtesy of Sarah Culver Photography I'm working part-time at a local organic farm again this summer. Last summer, it was so lovely, I just had to go back. This summer, I have the great pleasure of also working one of the farm's farmers' markets in D.C.
One of the toughest things about eating well, in my opinion, is knowing what to do with the food you have. Part of the appeal and obvious draw of fast-food, packaged foods, pre-made foods, etc. is that the work has been done. No need to figure out how to combine the necessary ingredients into a palatable meal. Heck, there's no need to even determine what the "necessary" ingredients are! And, if you're trying to shop local, eat seasonally, or start cooking at home from scratch, the options can seem even more limited. This is where I hope to come in.
At the farmers' market and with the farm's CSA each week, I try to test recipes on some of the less "approachable" ingredients. My hope is to offer a recipe that is fairly simple, quick, nutritious, and, obviously, nutritious! I want to make meal planning, healthy eating, and home-cooking fun, enjoyable, and approachable. This past week, my efforts went into Collard Greens. For some in this area, Collards aren't too foreign. For others (like myself!), one may barely know where to begin. This stuffed collard green recipe was great. I made it and ate it hot, and then ate the leftover the next day cold. Both were really quite delicious. While the dish takes a little while to come together in its entirety, there is only a little active time; the rest is just letting things cook! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did; perhaps instead of opting for your standard spinach or lettuce this week, you'll give another lovely leafy green a try. :)
Stuffed Collard Greens
makes about 6-8 rolls
6-8 collard green leaves
olive oil
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 large spicy sausage link, optional
1 clove/tsp minced garlic
¼ cup brown rice
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
4 oz tomato paste
1 Tbsp raisins
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp chopped fresh mint (dried can be substituted)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or dried, just use more)
Juice of half a lemon
Water
Remove stem from collards. Boil pot of water. Add collards & boil 3 minutes. Place collards in ice water bath.
Over medium heat, drizzle oil into large pan. Sautee onion, 5 minutes, If using sausage, add, breaking up as it cooks. Then add garlic & salt; cook 1 minute. Add rice & nuts, stir. Add tomato paste, raisins, cinnamon, allspice, & just enough water to cover rice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, & simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in mint & dill.
With stem side facing you, add 1 heaping Tbsp of filling to end of one collard leaf. Fold in the sides, then rollup tightly, folding sides in as you go. Repeat with remaining leaves & filling.
Place rolls seam side down into steamer/steaming basket. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Cut up remaining lemon into slices and on top of collard rolls. Steam for 20-30 minutes until Leaves are tender. Serve hot or cold.
What Collards Can Do For You
1 cup of cooked collard greens contains:
- 30% of your daily fiber needs – helps maintain good digestive health
- about 100% of your daily vitamin A – good for skin and eye health
- about 50% of your daily vitamin C – wound healing and potent antioxidant
- a quarter of your daily Calcium – bone and teeth health
- over 10% of your daily Iron – carries oxygen to cells
- over 10% of your daily B6 – necessary for protein metabolism
- over 100% of your daily vitamin K – proper blood clotting
- almost 50% of your daily Manganese – enzyme action and strong antioxidant
At the farmers' market and with the farm's CSA each week, I try to test recipes on some of the less "approachable" ingredients. My hope is to offer a recipe that is fairly simple, quick, nutritious, and, obviously, nutritious! I want to make meal planning, healthy eating, and home-cooking fun, enjoyable, and approachable. This past week, my efforts went into Collard Greens. For some in this area, Collards aren't too foreign. For others (like myself!), one may barely know where to begin. This stuffed collard green recipe was great. I made it and ate it hot, and then ate the leftover the next day cold. Both were really quite delicious. While the dish takes a little while to come together in its entirety, there is only a little active time; the rest is just letting things cook! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did; perhaps instead of opting for your standard spinach or lettuce this week, you'll give another lovely leafy green a try. :)
Stuffed Collard Greens
makes about 6-8 rolls
6-8 collard green leaves
olive oil
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 large spicy sausage link, optional
1 clove/tsp minced garlic
¼ cup brown rice
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
4 oz tomato paste
1 Tbsp raisins
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp chopped fresh mint (dried can be substituted)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or dried, just use more)
Juice of half a lemon
Water
Remove stem from collards. Boil pot of water. Add collards & boil 3 minutes. Place collards in ice water bath.
Over medium heat, drizzle oil into large pan. Sautee onion, 5 minutes, If using sausage, add, breaking up as it cooks. Then add garlic & salt; cook 1 minute. Add rice & nuts, stir. Add tomato paste, raisins, cinnamon, allspice, & just enough water to cover rice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, & simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in mint & dill.
With stem side facing you, add 1 heaping Tbsp of filling to end of one collard leaf. Fold in the sides, then rollup tightly, folding sides in as you go. Repeat with remaining leaves & filling.
Place rolls seam side down into steamer/steaming basket. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Cut up remaining lemon into slices and on top of collard rolls. Steam for 20-30 minutes until Leaves are tender. Serve hot or cold.
What Collards Can Do For You
1 cup of cooked collard greens contains:
- 30% of your daily fiber needs – helps maintain good digestive health
- about 100% of your daily vitamin A – good for skin and eye health
- about 50% of your daily vitamin C – wound healing and potent antioxidant
- a quarter of your daily Calcium – bone and teeth health
- over 10% of your daily Iron – carries oxygen to cells
- over 10% of your daily B6 – necessary for protein metabolism
- over 100% of your daily vitamin K – proper blood clotting
- almost 50% of your daily Manganese – enzyme action and strong antioxidant