Every year on January 1, I make a big batch of collard greens.  They are supposed to symbolize money and good fortune, which I’ll take every year! This year I made two big bunches, and have leftovers, so I decided to make a soup out.  It turned out delicious, so I decided to post the recipe below.  First, I will explain the basic method I used for cooking collard greens.

Cooking collards is easy, but it does require a few basic steps to get them clean and seasoned.  Here’s the way I make mine:

1.  Wash the greens thoroughly.  I like to soak the leaves in a sink full of cold water.  If they are particularly gritty, you may need to run them through a colander (I use the inside bowl of the salad spinner).
2. With your hands, grab the stalk and strip it off.  If a little stalk is left at the top of the leaf, that is fine.
3. Stack about 10 leaves and roll them up like a cigar.  Slice the greens into ribbons and then slice again if the ribbons are too long.
4. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth (I use homemade) to the bottom of a large dutch oven.  Add in cut greens and put on the stove over medium-high heat.
5. Once everything starts to boil, the collards will begin to wilt.  Stir them until they all are coated with the broth.
6. Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of coconut oil, a dash of stevia powder, and two teaspoons of salt and pepper.  If you want to add a strip of bacon, you can, for a more traditional southern flavor.  Stir together.
7. Turn the heat to low and let them simmer for about an hour, until cooked well, but not mushy.  Adjust seasonings if needed.

For the soup:

New Year’s Day Collard Greens Soup

January 3, 2017

by Shelley Butler

Category Uncategorized

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 32 ounce box of organic chicken broth (or use homemade)
• 1 teaspoon herbes de provence
• generous amounts of salt and pepper (at least a teaspoon of each)
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 cup leftover cooked collard greens

Instructions

• Saute the carrot, onion and celery in olive oil. After they start to sweat a bit, add the garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add chicken broth, season and 1 1/2 cans of the beans. Bring to a boil, and then let simmer for about 30 minutes. Take the rest of the beans, along with a little liquid from the soup and blend together in a blender until smooth. Add to the soup - this will give it a creamier texture. Add in the collard greens. Taste to see if more salt is needed. Let simmer for another 30 minutes and serve.

Tags

collard greens,

leftover new years food,

recipe,

soup

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