Detox Collard Greens Recipe

Give your body a break from sugar, dairy and meat — for your organs’ sake! Try this delicious and detoxifying dish.

Why detox? We are all exposed to pesky toxins every day. They exist in the air we breathe, the land we walk on and the food we eat. As a mom, wife, yoga instructor, engineer and new author, I do a detox cleanse every quarter with whole, nutrient-dense foods to reset and recharge my body.

There are 365 days in a year. In my opinion, taking a 10-day break from sugar, dairy and meat isn’t too much to ask for our organs’ sake. Given the complexity of foods, it makes sense to give our skin, kidneys and liver a well-deserved hiatus from inflammation.  

I wrote my book Detoxelicious: Easy Soul Food Inspired 10-Day Detox Cleanse Recipes and Fitness for Super Busy People (Balboa Press, 2019) to provide inspiration and hope for men and women aspiring to live their best lives with increased vitality. It’s easy to make organic plant-based foods taste delicious while enlivening the senses when you have a soul-food mindset.

Try this recipe, one of my very favorites, inspired by my grandmother.

Not Your Mama’s Collard Greens Recipe

Makes 4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 bunches collard greens, soaked in warm water, de-stemmed and cut
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 minced garlic clove (or 1 tsp granulated garlic)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp coconut liquid aminos
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• garlic salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Soak collard greens in a large sink or steel bowl. Pick through the greens and discard yellow leaves and any thick stems. Dry and cut out thicker stem of collard greens. Stack 3 to 4 leaves and roll the leaves crosswise into tiny strips or chop into ¼-inch strips.

In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Saute onions until slightly softened, about 4 to 5 minutes, then add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook another minute. Add collard greens and cook another minute. Add vegetable stock, coconut liquid aminos and balsamic vinegar, cover and bring to a simmer. Add filtered water as needed. Cook until greens are tender, about 40 minutes. Add or garnish with tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste).

Expert Tip

It takes a lot of willpower and patience to get rid of the grit that loves to cling to collard greens. Rinsing is not always enough. I recommend soaking them ahead of time. You can fill a clean sink with cold water and sprinkle the greens with salt. I recommend you clean the sink again, then let the greens soak one to two more times. After soaking, then remove the coarse stem from the leaves with a knife. Cleaning greens can be fun for the kids since they have little fingers. It helps them to understand the concept of “farm-to-table” foods.