Collard Greens

Healing Foods

Collard Greens

Protect your bones and your eyesight with this green giant of the mustard family

Like other dark, leafy greens, collards are sky-high in vitamin Ka mere cup provides more than twice the daily requirement of this fat-soluble vitamin essential for proper blood clotting and bone formation. Further upping the health cachet of this Southern staple are impressive amounts of cancer-fighting beta-carotene, as well as vitamin C and folate. Collards are also brimming with lutein and zeaxanthin, an antioxidant dynamic duo that help bolster eye health.

Choose It & Use It
Less bitter than many dark greens, raw collards are a welcome addition to a salad bowl, or try them as a low-calorie lunch wrapper. Studies show that lightly steaming the leaves is the best way to turn up their antioxidant power. Collards go limp quickly, so use them up within a couple days.

get the recipes

Collard Green Coleslaw

The hot dressing poured over this salad slightly wilts the greens without cooking them. Chilling the salad lets the flavors develop. Serve as a side dish, or use instead of lettuce to top vegetarian barbecue. Other greens to try in this recipe: Swiss chard, beet greens, or flat-leafed

Citrus Collards with Raisins

"This is my signature dish," says Chef Bryant Terry proudly. "When it was first published, the recipe was my way of showing you can take traditional cuisine and reinvent it—I grew up on collard greens that weren’t considered done unless they’d cooked at least two hours."

Ginger-Miso Yam Wraps

Not Yet Rated

Tofu and edamame give these wraps plenty of protein. Feel free to substitute chard or flat-leafed kale for the collards.

Root Veggie Chowder with Collard Ribbons

The great fall colors here get a hit of green from collards added at the end. A final flourish from an orange-balsamic mix rounds out the flavor profile.