Kickin' Collard Greens

Happy 2013!

It seems fitting to me that my first post of the year is about collard greens. Growing up in the south, eating collard greens & black eyed peas on New Years is a tradition. The greens are supposed to bring you money in the new year, and the beans are supposed o bring you luck.

On New Years Day, we spent 12 hours in Graham's truck making the drive from Charlotte to Little Rock, so we missed out on this meal on the 1st. Hopefully we'll still have money and luck in 2013 since we pigged out on the 2nd =)

(I'm going to post the recipe for blackeyed peas next week, and you can find the cornbread recipe here).

Kickin' Collard Greens
(Recipe adapted from this one).

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. bag of washed & cut collard greens
• 1 red onion; diced
• 3 pieces of bacon; cut in 1/2" pieces
• 4 cloves of garlic; minced
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 1 t. of salt
• 1 t. of pepper
• 1 t. of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Place chopped bacon in a large dutch oven on medium-high heat. Cook until crisp.
2. Add onion and cook in the bacon drippings until tender (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute or two).
3. Add greens (in batches) to the pot, and cook until they have begun to wilt.
4. Add chicken stock & seasonings to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and let simmer for 30-40 minutes (or until greens are tender).