Smoky sweet vegan collard greens
Smoky sweet greens are the perfect side dish for barbecue or vegan mac and cheese. With a slight sweetness by way of dried cranberries, they have a lovely rounded flavor.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 70kcal
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil or your preferred oil
- 6 to 8 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 bunches collard greens removed from ribs and roughly chopped in medium pieces
- Up to 1 cup water*
- ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base or half of a vegetable bouillon cube
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Bring a soup pot to a medium heat and add oil. Depending on your garlic preferences and garlic clove size, add 6 to 8 minced garlic cloves to the pot. Saute garlic in oil a few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add collard greens to pot along with ½ cup water, Better Than Bouillon or half of a vegetable bouillon cube, liquid smoke, pinch of salt, and dried cranberries. Stir collard greens to fully combine and turn up heat slightly. Bring greens to a simmer, and then turn heat to low. Top with a lid.
- Cook for 20 minutes, stopping occasionally to stir. If the water is getting too low and it looks like the greens might burn, add more water, up to ½ cup.
- After 20 minutes have passed, taste the collard greens to see if they have your preferred amount of softness. If you'd like them to be softer, cook an additional 10 minutes or more, being careful to watch that the greens don't run out of liquid on the bottom of the pot.
Notes
*Collard green bunches can vary in size and moisture content. That's why I recommend starting with less water and adding it as needed. You don't want the collards to burn at the bottom of the pot, but you don't want them to boil either.
If your liquid smoke is especially strong or if your collard leaves are small, add less liquid smoke.
Collard greens are a vegetable that only gets more tender the longer it cooks. Feel free to go even longer than 30 minutes. Just keep an eye that all of the liquid at the bottom doesn't cook off. Add more water or broth, as needed.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 3 or 4 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove, or use the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4770IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 229mg | Iron: 0.5mg
