Vegetarian Collard Greens with Maple Cornbread Dumplings

Vegetarian Collard Greens

Collards and other greens are sweeter after a freeze, so leave those long tough leaves on the plant until after a cold shock and they’ll be more palatable. I recommend using a 12-inch cast-iron frying pan for this dish. Instead of bacon, this recipe calls for toasted sourdough, which adds a similar fatty, chewy, crispy texture and smoky flavor. Of course, you can also just use bacon.

Vegetarian Collard Greens

Collards and other greens are sweeter after a freeze, so leave those long tough leaves on the plant until after a cold shock and they’ll be more palatable. I recommend using a 12-inch cast-iron frying pan for this dish. Instead of bacon, this recipe calls for toasted sourdough, which adds a similar fatty, chewy, crispy texture and smoky flavor. Of course, you can also just use bacon.

Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey, “Potlikker” and Maple Cornbread Dumplings

Sauteed Collard Greens with Eggs & Polenta

Filling & soul-warming polenta & collard greens, topped with a fried egg! YUM!

Braised Collards in Tomato-onion Gravy

Traditional Southern collards are cooked with fatback, ham hock, or bacon grease. There’s a lot of flavor in that fat, so when you eliminate it, you need to bump up the flavor elsewhere. Charring the tomatoes before adding them to the gravy is a great way to add a smoky, umami-rich note without adding fat or calories.