Collard Greens à la Benin

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of Collard greens, tough stems removed (if you wish), and sliced into large, bite-sized pieces

• 4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 1 large red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 ounce (about a 1 inch piece) fresh ginger, minced

• 5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 - 2 Bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons curry powder (your choice)

• 1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground

• 8 ounces low-fat coconut milk (one cup)

Instructions

1. Wash and clean the Collards to remove grit. Cut off the tougher stems and discard. Stack the leaves in piles of 3-4, roll and cut into large bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

2. Roughly chop onions, mince the ginger and garlic.

3. Measure and prepare your other ingredients. I prefer to use dried coconut milk powder rather than opening an entire can of coconut milk - as I can make up just what I need as needed.

4. In a large, heavy, lidded pot, over medium-high heat, wet sauté the onions, garlic and ginger for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add water/broth to prevent browning/sticking. The onions should just be translucent.

5. Stir gently while adding salt to taste, the pepper and curry powder.

6. Add the tomatoes and stir. Cook 2-3 minutes.

7. Slowly add the Collard greens, giving them a few moments after each addition to cook down and make room for the rest. The moisture in the greens will evaporate and their volume will decrease.

8. After the greens have relaxed and cooked down for a couple minutes, add the coconut milk, Bay leaf and brown sugar.

9. Cover the pot and simmer over the very lowest heat for about 30 minutes. Check and stir occasionally.

10. Adjust seasonings.

11. Serve with legumes like Black-eyed peas, brown or Thai red rice, or Farro.

12. NOTE: You can easily add cooked/steamed chunks of pumpkin, Butternut squash, yam, extra firm tofu or tempeh to this dish. Add those when you add the coconut milk.

Recipe from SimplyByCynthia