I admit it. I love a “good” collard green. But there is not much worse than a stringy collard. I met Michael Twitty and enjoyed his collards. I asked him his secret and he told me to chiffonade the greens. That combined with proper cooking gives you a great greens dish.

In this particular case I made them meat free, for friends that weren’t eating meat that night. You can also make them with a smoked turkey leg instead of liquid smoke if you want the meat.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Picture coming soon.

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Vegan Collard Greens

I love "good" collards. I wanted a vegetarian version I could share with some of my non- meat eating friends. This is GOOD.

Course: Everything Else, Middles

Cuisine: Southern

Keyword: collards, greens, meat free

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 bunches Collard Greens, see below for cleaning and trimming
• 2 Tbs. Avocado Oil
• 3/4 Cup Chopped Yellow Onions
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 4 Cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 tsp. Mesquite Liquid Smoke
• 1-2 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1-2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

• Trim and wash your greens:

  The most important part is to remove the thick stem from the leaves. You can cut it away, pull through a fork tine or just use your hands.

  Once you have your leaves separated, I like to chiffonade them (this is a tip I learned from Michael Twitty). I linked a video above. Chiffonade literally means to cut in ribbons.

  Once your greens are cut, place them in a colander and rinse thoroughly. I like to rinse then turn them and rinse again. Let them dry completely before cooking. You can roll them in towels to help.
• In a large pan, heat the oil over a medium heat.

  Sauté the onions, until soft and trans[arent. Add in garlic and sauté.

  Stir in smoked paprika and let this all cook for 1-2 minutes to meld.
• Pour in apple cider vinegar and scrape up any browned bits.

  Start adding your greens. They will shrink, but it is better to add a little at a time, until all are in.

  Slowly pour in the vegetable broth then add in the liquid smoke. Stir to really incorporate.

  Pull out a piece and taste. Then add salt and pepper and stir. Taste again and add more salt and pepper as needed.
• Reduce the heat and let the greens simmer for 45-60 minutes. This is important because this is where they soften. Check occasionally and add more broth if needed.

  Taste one more time and add more smoke, salt or pepper . You can also add a little hot sauce if desired.

  Serve hot, with bread for sopping up the potlikker!

Video