Mess O' Greens

Although, I'm originally from the Midwest, raised in the West and long to live in the East, I grew up on this Southern dish. Imagine my mom's surprise when I told her she doesn't have to cook collard greens to enjoy them. Who knew?

Marinated Collard Greens

MARINADE
¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

¼ cup chopped scallions, white parts only
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon sea salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch collard greens, washed
1/8 cup olive oil

1 In a large bowl, combine apple cider vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

2 Take several collard leaves and roll into a cylinder the shape of a fat cigar.

3 Using a knife, cut the through the collard cylinder, making strips. Repeat
steps two and three until you have cut all the collard leaves.

4 Place strips in a large bowl. Pour olive oil on collard strips and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Massage the oil and salt into the strips until all are well coated.

5 Transfer the collard strips to the bowl with the apple cider vinegar marinade. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.

Servings: 4

Note: The raw collard greens won't get as soft as its cooked counterpart. That's a good thing, cooking your greens gets rid of all the water and nutrients that they provide.

Pot likker is the broth that is left in the pot after boiling greens. For this raw food recipe, the pot likker is the marinade. ;)

Did you know?
Hanging a fresh collard leaf over your door will ward off evil spirits.

Have a headache? Place a collard leaf placed on your forehead.

Collard greens are packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and calcium. In addition, they contain potassium, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6, vitamin E, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and iron.