Spicy Southern Greens

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Southern greens aka collards, mustard, turnip, and spinach are not only delicious, but healthy for you. This recipe is rich in flavor and heat, while being filled with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Packed with fiber, potassium, Vitamin A and C, protein, and folate to name a few benefits.

There is a vegan southern restaurant in Minneapolis called Trio Plant Based that makes a collard greens side dish that I still dream about. This recipe is my attempt at honoring the greatness that is their recipe. Like anything, patience is the key here. These take a couple of hours at least, to really get the flavor you want and maximize taste. I’ll start a batch at the beginning of the day and let it cook low and slow for a couple of hours while I do other things, stirring occasionally. I do think I have mastered the flavor I was looking for with this batch, and I am glad I was measuring all the ingredients out. There are so many times where I throw a meal together and it ends up so good, I know I have to share it with you, but I wasn’t writing down what I was tossing in.  Make sure you give yourself the time to let the greens cook down and kill any bitterness they might have. It’s worth it in flavor and overall quality of the finished product.

I made these with my loaded baked potato sliders that are perfect for any occasion. You obviously don’t have to make these together, but I strongly recommend trying it at least once. They are a great pairing, and I am pleased I thought to try it. I paired them with the perfect twice baked loaded baked potato sliders which you can find here. Trader Joe’s only gets the southern greens blend for a short time throughout the year, so I knew I needed to utilize them being in stock now. You can always mix the various greens together to make the same amount the bags make. You can always just use all collards if that’s all you can get. The key is the broth you cook them in, it makes them so tasty that you won’t have an issue going through the leftovers. If you don’t eat them all before they are going to go bad, you can freeze them in a sealed container.

Have you had collard greens or greens cooked like this before? What other foods do you like to pair these with? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Jessica

Spicy Southern Greens

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Yield: 6-8

Author: Jessica Morton

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 10 M

Ingredients

Instructions

• 2-16 ounce bags Trader Joe’s Sothern Greens Blend (sub out all collards or your own blend of greens if needed)
• ½ Small yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 TBSP Garlic, minced
• 2 Cups vegetable stock
• 1 ½ TSP Better than Bouillon Chicken-less base
• ½ -1 TBSP Natural smoke (I like Wright’s brand. A little goes a long way but adjust this measurement to taste. Without meat, this gives the greens a BBQ taste)
• ½-1 TSP Red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• ½-1 TBSP Hot sauce (I use Cholula)
• 1 TBSP Olive oil
• 1 TBSP Trader Joe’s Vegan ghee (sub vegan butter)
• 1 TBSP Distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 TSP Smoked paprika
• ½-1 TBSP Tamari or soy sauce (Sub Trader Joe's Smoky BBQ flavored coconut aminos for that extra BBQ flavor)
• 1 ½ TSP Vegan Worcestershire sauce (I like Annie’s brand)
• 1 TSP Garlic powder
• Several cracks of TJ’s South African Smoke seasoning, about one teaspoon

Instructions

Instructions

1. If using loose greens, wash, and tear into small pieces. I still like to go throw the bags and pick out any bad pieces and bare stems.
2. Pour veggie stock into measuring cup and add all seasonings minus the Better Than Bouillon. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Heat large pot to medium/high heat.
4. Add olive oil/ghee to pan and add onion once heated up.
5. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, adding salt and pepper.
6. Once onions are starting to be transparent, add mined garlic cooking for a couple more minutes.
7. Make sure not to let the garlic burn.
8. Add seasoned veggie stock and stir. Add the Better Than Bouillon and stir until dissolved.
9. Bring to a low boil and add the greens.
10. They will wilt down with time.
11. Cook on medium low heat for 1 ½-2 hours at least, or until greens are cooked down and aren’t bitter anymore. If you have the time to cook it 3-4 hours, I would.
12. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a week and can be frozen as well in sealed container.

Notes:

Cook time is just an estimate. I would cook them 3-4 hours, but they will be okay at around 1 ½ -2 hours if you are cut for time. As long as the bitterness is cooked out and they are soft, you are good.