“Greens” is a general term that refers to leafy green vegetables that are an important aspect of African- American foodways. Greens include kale, rape salat, mustard, lamb’s-quarters, wild watercress, purslane, broccoli rabb, turnip-top leaves, beet tops, spinach, poke salat, cresses salat, chard, dandelion, cabbage sprouts and collard greens. Greens have high nutritional value. They are often boiled with meat, most commonly pork. However, some recipes like two in Maya Angelou’s Hallelujah the Welcome Table use turkey meat instead of pork, which yields an even healthier dish. In the cookbook, In Pursuit of Flavor, Lewis states “Greens are a dish that most Southerners would walk a mile for.” DeKnight pronounces that “a pot of ‘mixed greens and ham’ becomes a ‘must’.”



​The History Makers Featured Audio Clip:          This is a clip of the Honorable Wilma Webb, Former Colorado State Representative, on her favorite food.



HEALTHY RECIPE FOR COLLARD GREENS



Greens are a staple in the African American foodways tradition and we found a terrific recipe from food.com that lets the flavor of collard greens shine while giving a lean and heart healthy alternative to the traditional collard green recipe.



Ingredients

1 lb collard greens ( I used a pre-cleaned and cut bag of greens)

4 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon ( Better Than Bouillon)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic cloves ( minced)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar ( more if you like your collards sweeter)
vinegar (optional)



Instructions

Bring the water, chicken bouillon, olive oil, garlic and peppers to a boil in a medium sized pot.

Add the sugar and the greens to the pot.
Bring to a boil once more.
Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes or until desired tenderness.
Serve as is or with a splash of the optional vinegar!



Nutritional Information

Per Serving: Calories 122.9 Calories from Fat 95 Total Fat 10.5g Saturated Fat 1.4g Cholesterol 0.0mg Sugars 1.0 g Sodium 35.7mg Total Carbohydrate 6.5g Dietary Fiber 3.2g Protein 2.4g



Here is a YouTube Video demonstrating of a variation of the recipe above for a healthier cooking option for collard greens. 

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