Collard greens are a highly nutritious green rich in calcium that are a great addition to your World's Healthiest Foods Way of Eating. Long popular in the southern states, you will find out why they are becoming increasingly popular throughout the rest of the U.S.

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 1 pound collard greens, chopped Mediterranean Dressing 1 tsp lemon juice 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil sea salt and black pepper to taste 1-1/2 TBS sunflower seeds Optional: 1/2 red onion, sliced (add to steamers with collard greens) 6 kalamata olives, sliced 3 TBS pumpkin seeds 5 drops soy sauce dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Fill bottom of steamer with 2 inches of water.
2. While steam is building up, cut off thick stem ends and slice Collard Greens leaves into 1/8- inch slices (thick stems can be saved for soup). Let them sit for 5-10 minutes before steaming.
3. Chop or press garlic and slice onions and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
4. When water has come to a full boil add onions tothe bottom of the steamer basket and place Collard Greens on top. Cover with a tight fitting lid and

   steam for 5 minutes for al dente Collard Greens.

5. Transfer to a bowl and toss Collard Greens with

   the remaining ingredients while they are still hot. (Mediterranean Dressing does not need to be made separately.)

6. Important: For best flavor, use a knife and fork to cut the cooked Collard Greens crosswise several times until they are in very small pieces. The more finely you cut Collard Greens the more exposed surface area you create. This can allow more flavors of the dressing to pass into the Collard Greens and speed up

   desirable changes in texture including tenderness.

Serves 2

Research shows that fat-soluble vitamins

and carotenoids found in foods, such as Collard Greens, may be better absorbed when consumed with fat-containing foods like extra virgin olive oil. Dressing

will also help tenderize Collard Greens.

Nutritional Profile

Introduction to Recipe Rating System Chart

In order to better help you identify recipes that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Recipe Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the recipes that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the nutrients for which 5-Minute "Quick Steamed" Collard Greens is either an excellent, very good, or good source (below the chart you will find a table that explains these qualifications). If a nutrient is not listed in the chart, it does not necessarily mean that the recipe doesn't contain it. It simply means that the nutrient is not provided in a sufficient amount or concentration to meet our rating criteria. (To view this recipe's in-depth nutritional profile that includes values for dozens of nutrients - not just the ones rated as excellent, very good, or good - please use the link below the chart.) To read this chart accurately, you'll need to glance back up to see the ingredients used in the recipe and the number of serving sizes provided by the recipe. Our nutrient ratings are based on a single serving. For example, if a recipe makes 4 servings, you would be receiving the nutrient amounts listed in the chart by eating 1/4th of the combined ingredients found in the recipe. Now, returning to the chart itself, you can look next to the nutrient name in order to find the nutrient amount it offers, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this recipe and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details of our rating system.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for 5-Minute "Quick Steamed" Collard Greens