Collard greens: big, beautiful leaves with big, beautiful nutrition.
Here’s a great one pot meal that has a small amount of prep and fewer dishes at the end of it. This dish has good protein and vegetables. Add a piece of whole grain toast and you’ve got your grain. You can also put more vegetables into the base or replace the bacon with paprika to get the smoky flavor.
1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
1 bay leaf
1 large bunch collard greens
1 teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste
Pepper to taste
Put the peas and 4 cups of water in a bowl and soak overnight. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bacon, and bay leaf. Cover the pan with a lid and leave it for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally and cook until the onion is translucent and the bacon is starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain the black-eyed peas and pour them into the saucepan. Cover them with water and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the peas are easily crushed with a fork. Be sure to check occasionally that the water does not cook off, as sometimes older peas take longer to cook than fresh ones. While the peas cook, remove the stems from the collard greens and chop them into bite size pieces. Once the peas are cooked, add the collards, salt to taste and some freshly ground pepper, and stir. Cover the pan and leave until the collards are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.
Adapted from the cookbook Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown.