Vegan Soul Food – Collard Greens With Raisins
Sweet, earthy and citrusy, this vegetarian side proves that not all greens have to taste like they’re good for you (even if they are). This recipe was adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine
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Vegan Soul Food - Collard Greens With Raisins
Created by:
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Recipe Type: Side
Cuisine: Vegan
Number Servings: 4
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Although fresh collard greens are available year around in the stores, they are at their best from November through April. Wonderfully nutritious collard leaves are very low in calories (provide only 30 calories per 100 g) and contain no cholesterol. However, its green leaves contain a very good amount of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber that helps control LDL cholesterol levels and offer protection against hemorrhoids, constipation as well as colon cancer diseases.
What You Need
- 1 tablespoon(s) sea salt
- ½ teaspoon(s) sea salt, combined with above sea salt
- 2 bunches (about 12 cups) collard greens, tough ribs removed, cut into strips, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅔ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
How to Do It
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts (12 cups) water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Remove the collards from heat, drain, and plunge into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color. Drain, gently pressing the greens against the colander.
- In a medium-size sauté pan, combine olive oil and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute on medium heat.
- Add the collards, raisins, and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the orange juice and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should remain bright green).
- Season with additional salt to taste (if needed), and serve immediately.
Extras
For my taste, this recipe is a little bland. So what I did was use garlic or seasoning salt in place of the ½ tsp regular salt. I also used ½ cup orange juice instead of just ⅓ cup, and a few more raisins. Much more to my liking. Make sure the orange juice you use is sweet, not tart.
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I made the citrus greens yesterday, and they were delicious. I didn’t have enough orange juice, so I just added a little lemon juice and sugar, and they were perfect . also I used cranberries instead of the raisins and it was so good I did not know greens could taste good without smoked meat. I have now ordered 4 vegetarian cookbooks including the one this recipe is from.