Vitamins and minerals are essential for maintaining our immune systems, fighting cancer, and healing the body. One of the richest sources of these nutrients is dark green leafy vegetables. As part of the cabbage family, collards also boast intense cancer-fighting levels of phytonutrients, making them a super source of many health-giving components. Drizzling them with lemon juice also increases the amount of iron you absorb from them, which will help you prevent anemia. Although southern tradition often uses large amounts of fat to prepare greens, this recipe results in tender, tasty greens with almost no added fat and preserving nutrients by using minimum amounts of water for cooking.
Not So Southern Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of collard greens
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Sprinkle of salt
- Lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash the greens thoroughly. Chop the leaves coarsely.
- Place the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the crushed garlic. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add the chopped greens and stir vigorously. Add small amounts of water as needed to avoid burning or sticking.
- Keep stirring every minute or so as the greens wilt. Once it has all wilted down, ensure there is still a bit of liquid in the pan, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cover the pan with a lid.
- Turn heat down to low, and allow to simmer until the collards are tender. Check intermittently to ensure there is still a little liquid in the pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve.
Call to Action
It was after Adam and Eve sinned that God added vegetables to their diet (Genesis 3:18). Could it be that God knew how sin would wreak havoc on our bodies and that we would need the super nutrients found in green leafy vegetables to enjoy the best health?
I find it fascinating that vegetables, as described in Genesis 1-3, seem to imply the parts of a plant that do not contain the seed/grain. In other words, roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. In many chronic diseases, increasing our intake of bioavailable minerals (think dark green leafy vegetables!) supports healing the body. God knew what He was doing!
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