Collard greens are my new favorite green. Don’t get me wrong…I still love kale as well as all the others, but not too long ago I learned that I didn’t have to cook collards for 45 minutes with bacon to make them taste good and that, in fact, they cook up in minutes. MINUTES! When I heard that, I decided to give it a try in the morning with my eggs. I have eggs with some sort of green nearly every day so it seemed like a great place to start. Let me just say that I immediately converted. Not only do collard greens cook quickly, but they are less bitter than kale and generally less expensive.

If you need even more reason to try collard greens, how about an amazing nutritional profile? Because they have that too! Collard greens are so full of vitamins and minerals that reading the list seems like Superman and Wonder Woman joined up to fight cancer. In addition, collard greens have high levels of calcium coupled with exceptionally high levels of Vitamin K, which helps promote bone growth. I don’t consume much dairy, if any, so my major source of bone strengthening comes from the leafy greens I eat every single day and the heavy weights I lift so those nutrients have something to do.

I don’t just love collard greens for their nutrition, though. They are incredibly versatile, which I always appreciate, taking trips around the world depending on the spices and seasonings. This preparation came about because a wonderful friend of mine mentioned she’d like a creamy collard recipe and it’s cold outside so I turned to some warming spices to go with it. My version isn’t swimming in (coconut milk) cream because I wanted the flavor without the soupiness this time. Serve this along side a steak, chicken, fish, even eggs – you really can’t go wrong. It’s so easy and so good!

Garam Masala Creamed Collards

1 tsp. coconut oil

1/2 an onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of collard greens

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. water

1/2 tsp. garam masala

1/2 c. full-fat coconut milk

Directions

1) Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes until translucent.

2) Remove the stems from the collard greens and wash the leaves. Roughly cut them into 4 vertical strips, stack them in a pile, and cut them into horizontal strips about an inch wide. This doesn’t have to be perfect; you’re just looking for strips that are comfortable to eat.

3) When the onions have softened, add the garlic, collard greens, salt, and water. Give it a good stir and place a lid on the skillet. Steam for about 4 minutes.

4) Remove the lid and add the coconut milk and garam masala. Continue to cook the greens until most of the liquid is gone and the leaves are tender, about 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and serve.

Serves 2