Okay…I lived in Birmingham, Alabama for six years…and never once ate collard greens! Never. Not once. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps it was the ill-fated attempt my mom had cooking okra that turned me away from those “southern” vegetables. I can’t say for sure. But I never felt the need to try them, nor the desire.
But, much like with the Brussels sprouts, along came my CSA bin and inside…collard greens.
Now, my roommate happened to scoop up a recipe card for a Collard Green Hash while we were out at the grocery store, but the problem was, it was going to take an hour and fifteen minutes (not including prep time) to throw that together. And I was hungry and not wanting to deal with it. So, instead, I had one of my “I’m just going to make this up” moments and created my very own recipe using a leafy green vegetable that I had never tasted nor cooked with before.
And surprisingly…it worked!
Recipe: Oven Roasted Potatoes, Peppers, and Collard Greens in a Vegan Cream Sauce
Servings: 2-4
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 small Russet potatoes, cubed
6 mini sweet peppers, chopped
5 collard green leaves, stalks trimmed and cut into strips
olive oil
salt
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
3 tablespoons sour cream (I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream)
1/4 teaspoon Ancho chile powder
dash of lime juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Wash the potatoes and pat them dry. Slice the potatoes into cubes and place in a zip lock bag. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. Seal the bag and shake to coat the potatoes.
Next slice the sweet peppers away from the seeds. Chop them and add them to the bag with the potatoes. Give another shake. Then pour the peppers and potatoes out onto the baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Pour the potatoes out onto a baking sheet and spread them out over the surface. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes and peppers begin to roast, wash the collard greens and cut away the stems. Slice the collard greens in half, then into strips. Place in another zip lock bag and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with a little red pepper flakes and garlic powder. Seal the bag and shake to coat the greens. Set aside.
In a bowl, place 3 tablespoons of sour cream (I used a vegan sour cream) and add 1/4 teaspoon of Ancho chile powder. Stir until combined. Add a small dash of lime juice and stir. Set aside.
After 15 minutes, remove the potatoes and peppers and give them a stir. Spread the strips of collard greens over the potatoes and peppers and place in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer the mix of potatoes, peppers and greens to the bowl with the cream sauce in it. Stir to coat.
Serve.
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I was actually surprised with how much I enjoyed this side. I probably could have eaten it as my meal and been completely content with it. But I had a veggie burger calling my name. I’m actually excited to be making this again tomorrow night with my dinner, I loved it so much. If you have never tried collard greens before, or if you are looking for a new way to enjoy them…I recommend this recipe. Not just because I made it up…but because it is actually quite yummy!
The Celiathlete 