Collard Greens are something quite unfamiliar to me, I have heard of them and have seen them, but I have not ever actually cooked or eaten them. So, since my husband and I are trying to eat healthier, we decided to buy a bunch of fresh ones at a local grocery store this week, and try them.

He had eaten them before and knows how to prepare them by just boiling them, but I wanted my virgin collard green experience to be an appreciated one. I was hoping they would turn out to be really good so I would want to eat them more often, as a variety of dark green leafy vegetables is supposed to be nutritious.

After several minutes of mentally checking the pantry I decided to spruce them up a bit myself instead of looking up suggestions online on how to cook them. Since he told me they are spinach like, I could not possibly screw them up too much.

This is how I cooked them, and though all the while my stomach kept telling me they were a foreign object while I was eating them, they were quite good and my husband loved them.

1 bunch fresh collard greens
1 small onion peeled and chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 packets instant low salt chicken broth
1 - 2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
soft tub margarine

This recipe prepares best using a large soup pot and an extra large mixing bowl.

While sauteeing the onion in the olive oil in the soup pot over low heat, clean and rinse the collard greens. After discarding the stems, chop the leaves into horizontal strips about an inch thick. Put them into the large bowl or another large stock pot.

When the onion begins to soften, add the next 5 ingredients and bring it to a boil.

Turn down the heat to a simmer and add the collard greens. Remember, greens really shrink when you cook them, so you want to put as many of them in the soup pot to cook a as possible. So cram them in there.

Cover and simmer the greens, stirring occasionally until they reach the softness you prefer. Remove from the heat and drain them, reserving the liquid.

SAVE THE DRAINED LIQUID TO USE IN ANOTHER RECIPE,

Season lightly with the soft margarine, stir and serve.