Collard Greens Slaw w/ Honey Mustard Dressing
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar (use different flavors of vinegar to taste)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup olive oil (you can substitute canola oil but olive oil is healthier)
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups collards - sliced thin or shredded
1/2-1 cup Julienned or shredded carrots
1/4-1/2 cup diced red sweet peppers
1/4 cup chopped red onion
Combine first 6 ingredients for dressing in a blender. While blender is going, slowly pour in olive oil. You can adjust salt and pepper to taste, but I didn't add any of either to mine. Let dressing sit while you prepare the slaw.
You want to slowly add dressing to slaw so it is coated, but not saturated. Prepare the slaw about 30 min prior to serving so you can add more dressing if necessary. If you have ever made cole slaw and added too much dressing, you will understand why you should start out slow.
If you like your slaw a little sweeter, you can add dried cranberries. If you want it a little spicier, add more cayenne, but make sure you do this slowly as well.
Collard Greens
I grew up thinking there was only one way to eat greens...cooked in fat-back, salt pork, or smoked meat. However, when I started eating healthier, I discovered that greens (kale, collards, mustards) are some of the healthiest foods you can eat when prepared right.
Collard greens are a good source of Vitamin A. Collard greens play a major role in promoting healthy lungs. It is a known fact that exposure to smoke, either primary or secondary, causes damage to normal lung function. A carcinogen present in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, leads to the deficiency of vitamin A in the body. This deficiency of vitamin A, in turn, helps to induce the development of emphysema.
Collard greens are also rich in riboflavin (a B vitamin), which is not only important for the process of methylation, but also helps in the regeneration of glutathione in the body. Glutathione is regarded as one of the most important antioxidants in the body and helps protect lipids like cholesterol from free radical attack. As long as cholesterol remains untouched by free radical attack, this fat-containing molecule will not cause any damage to blood vessel walls. People hear the word "cholesterol" and immediately think of bad health affects. However, many of our body functions rely on cholesterol (the good kind). This is one of the reasons I do not believe in the no fat/low fat diets. I believe in the "right" fat diets, i.e. olive oil, fatty fish such as cod, sardines, fresh, wild-caught salmon, etc. We rely on fat to insulate our bodies, cushion our organs, and protect our brains and nervous system. A large part of our brain is made up of "fat".
Another vitamin present in collards, which helps counteract cardio-vascular defects, is niacin. This vitamin is known to reduce high (bad) cholesterol levels and thus, helps prevent conditions like diabetes, heart diseases and atherosclerosis.
Collard greens also help neutralize many side effects that women face while going through menopause. The magnesium present in the vegetable acts as a stress reducer and helps promote normal sleeping patterns, while the calcium content helps avoid the bone loss that is very common during this stage. Also, the high vitamin E content in collards is beneficial in decreasing the hot flushes that most women experience at the time of menopause.
The role of calcium in maintaining the strength and density of bones has long been known. A mineral complex, called hydroxyapatite, which gives strength and structure to bones and teeth, is formed by a complex process involving the combination of calcium and phosphorus. It is estimated that a single cup of cooked collard greens has around 2.2% of the DV for calcium and 4.9% of the DV for phosphorus.
The mineral calcium, present in collard greens, helps protect colon cells from cancer-causing chemicals and reduces PMS symptoms during the second phase of the menstrual cycle.
Research has revealed that certain phytonutrients present in cruciferous vegetables, like collard greens, kale, mustards, broccoli, help eliminate harmful elements from the body, by signaling genes to enhance the production of some enzymes involved in the process of detoxification.
By preparing greens the way our mothers did defeats all of their health benefits. So the next time you are buying that bunch of greens think about different ways to prepare them that will allow all their nutrients to flow! I use greens in soups, chop up mustards in salads and omlettes, I saute greens with chopped veggies, and the list goes on. Be creative and come up with new ideas for a very old food.
One additional health note...collard greens also contain oxalates. If you have ever had a kidney stone, you may know what these are. They can crystalize in the body and cause problems. If you are prone to kidney or gall stones, you want to watch the amount of collards you eat and, as always, drink plenty of water!
