BBQ Black-Eyed Pea Collard Rolls

                                    from Veganomicon

I've been digging on collards lately, so I felt compelled to whip these up last week for lunches.

This is one of those relaxing recipes--lots of methodical rolling. And the results are wonderfully bright and summery-looking. Oh, and they also taste good. I ate them as leftovers all week, but I'm guessing they would probably be much better to serve immediately, instead of having them sit around in the fridge (which sogs them up a bit).



The Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of collard greens, 12 of the leaves set aside for rolling (pick out the biggest, nicest leaves of the bunch)


• 1 t. oil


• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly (I could not track 8 oz. of these down, so I used a 4-oz. mix of cremini, oyster, and portabellas)


• 4 c. chopped collards


• 1 15-oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed


• 3 c. Backyard BBQ Sauce, recipe to follow

DIRECTIONS

Slice off the stems of 12 nice collard leaves (run a knife alongside either side of the stem and then cut it out of the leaf). Boil a large pot of water. Submerge the 12 collard leaves into the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. When done, use tongs to transfer them to a strainer and let cool. Handle with care!

Preheat a large skillet over medium, and cook the mushrooms in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the chopped collards. Cook for 7-10 minutes until the moisture has cooked off. Add the peas and cook through. Pour on 2 cups of the BBQ sauce and cook until the wateriness is gone. (5-10 minutes). Let cool.

Place a collard on a flat work surface with the side that has not been sliced facing you. Place some of the black-eyed peas mixture in the lower third of the collard. (The recipe says to put 2 T. in each roll, but I was able to generously use 1/4 c. in each, with some of the black-eyed pea mix still left over. It'll all depend on the size of your leaves though.) Fold the bottom up over the mixture, then fold in the sides. Roll the collard up, gently but firmly.

Roll all the collards. When ready to serve, spoon extra BBQ sauce over the rolls.




Easy-Peasy Backyard BBQ Sauce

(makes 4 cups)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 T. canola oil


• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped very finely


• 4 cloves garlic, minced


• 1/4 t. salt


• 1 tsp red pepper flakes


• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes


• 1/3 c. molasses


• 1/3 c. white vinegar


• 1 T. sugar


• 1 T. yellow mustard


• 2 t. liquid smoke (find in the condiments section)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onions in the oil until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add all ingredients from salt through sugar, and cook from 30 minutes to an hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if the sauce begins to splatter.

Add the mustard and liquid smoke, and taste. Adjust the flavours if you prefer it sweeter or more sour, and cook for another 5 minutes. If you like your BBQ sauce smooth, grab your blender and puree, but it’s still yummy as a chunky sauce.

(from Veganomicon, recipe posted at Fresh Cracked Pepper)