Ask any Southerner does he or she enjoy collard greens and the majority of the time the answer will be a YES!
So, we can almost promise you that this Collard Green southern summer salad will definitely be a hit to any summer table!
Collard greens which are apart of the cabbage family has as the old folks would say a mild "bite" (bitterness) to its taste similar but not as strong as its rock star cousin, Kale. So to use this popular southern vegetable in a raw salad, we decided to blanch the greens in seasoned water to balance out the plant's recognizable "bite" in order to blend with the other familiar southern flavors of this salad.
Grab a folk and enjoy this wonderful twist to a traditional Southern dish!
Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas, & Sweet Potato With Hot Sauce Vinaigrette.
You will need:
1 bunch of *fresh collard greens, Destem, and wash them thoroughly. *You can also purchase a bag of chopped and destemmed collard greens. (wash thoroughly as well) Or 2 jars of Rosey Bloom's Collard Greens featured in my Fab Foodie Finds!
1 can of black-eyed peas
1 large sweet potato
3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
Sprinkle of black peppercorn
Sprinkle of sea salt
Hot Sauce Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Honey
3 tablespoon of Texas Pete Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon of Italian spices (Rosemary, Oregano Basil, Sage & Thyme)
Mix ingredients together. You can add more honey if you desire a sweeter taste. Increase Texas Pete Sauce for a spicier taste as well. Texas Pete Hot Sauce is just a suggested hot sauce, you can use any hot sauce you prefer.
Open the can of black-eyed peas, drain and rinse with cool water. Place peas in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of Hot Sauce vinaigrette, toss and let peas marinate in refrigerator until the remainder of the salad is done.
Dice sweet potato. In a pot bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the sweet potato cubes, *cook for 3 minutes. *Make sure not to overcook to avoid potatoes becoming mushy. Drain and set aside in a boil
In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes. Add collard greens to the boiling water blanching them for about 2 to 3 minutes. Take greens out, place in large bowl to cool.
Take black-eyed peas, diced sweet potatoes and combine with the collard greens. Drizzle Hot Sauce vinaigrette over salad, lightly sprinkle salt and pepper and toss and serve. Optional: Add bacon bits
Enjoy!!!