From the Jan 28th Co-op Newsletter, courtesy of Mary Duman:

Traditional collard greens are made with ham hocks but for those of us that don’t cook with ham hocks, I have come up with a few alternatives.

Ingredients:

  • 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2” pieces (without nitrates!)
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Several dashes hot sauce
  • 1/4 c. apple-cider vinegar
  • 2 lbs collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3” wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
  • 1 c. chicken broth (or water)

Directions:

  • Saute bacon and add onions, cooking until onions start to brown.
  • Add garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce and cook for a few more minutes.
  • Add vinegar and simmer until liquid reduces by half, stirring and scrapping bottom of pan.
  • Simmer until greens are soft and serve with hot sauce and cooking liquid.

*For vegetarian collard greens, you may substitute soyrizo, a soy alternative to chorizo, for the bacon and add a few dashes of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (omit salt).
**For an even healthier alternative, try raw greens.