Collard Greens Recipe, Low Fat!

I just realized that I have neglected to share a collard green recipe with you. This is my go to, lower in fat recipe that I use most often. I always buy a large bunch of greens and cut them up myself. I cut the leaves thin and leave the stalks in the leaves because I cook them long enough that they get very tender. This recipe was shared with me by a dear friend that passed away last year, Gary. Gary was just one of us girls. His life partner, a pharmacist, is a strong man who is still coping with his death. They were partners most of their lives. They were two southern men living in the south with an alternative lifestyle most others didn’t understand or accept. Gary grew up in rural Tennessee and shared so many stories with me of his childhood growing up on the farm. The last 20 or so years of his life, he lived in our neighborhood, bringing joy to everyone he came in contact with. I felt that early in our friendship, I took his stories for granted, not really appreciating the accomplishments in his life until I learned just what an inspiring and strong man he really was. You see Gary was a man’s man, truck driving, all around nice guy. It wasn’t till a few years after knowing him that I asked if he’d ever been married. And he replied, “Are you crazy? No! I’d never be married to a woman.” It was then I put two and two together. Call me ignorant, but for some reason I thought they were just “buds.” I guess they were just so use to hiding their lifestyle over the years, it was kind of hard to tell.

Anyway, here is Gary’s Collards recipe with his secret ingredient for flavor, chicken stock. If you like smokey flavor, just add a touch of liquid smoke.