Marrekus Wilkes of Cooks with Soul reimagined the flavors of the collard greens his grandparents used to simmer with salted ham hocks as these lighter wraps. He fills them with his own version of dirty rice made with ground pork, rice, and vegetables, and flavors them with Cajun seasoning (such as their Cooks with Soul “The Boot” Cajun seasoning). If you can’t find collard greens, try Swiss chard. Any leftovers are delicious cold or warm.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy-to-make recipe for Healthy Collard Green Dirty Rice Wraps.
1. Info for Healthy Collard Green Dirty Rice Wraps
- Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
- Servings: 6
- Calories: 519.92 kcal
2. Ingredients for Healthy Collard Green Dirty Rice Wraps
- chicken broth
- water
- long-grain rice
- collard green leaves
- vegetable oil
- ground pork
- medium yellow onion
- green bell pepper
- garlic cloves
- cajun seasoning mix
- salt
- black pepper
- chicken broth
- cajun remoulade
3. Directions:
- Add chicken broth for rice, and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in rice, cover pan, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all of liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Trim stems from collard greens at base of leaf. If remaining ribs are very large, run a knife parallel to the cutting board to shave off the thickest part of the ribs. Add half of greens at a time to pot and blanch in boiling water until they’re bright green and flexible, 2 minutes. Remove greens from water and submerge in a bowl of ice water until cool. Then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add ground pork, using a wooden spatula to crumble meat.
- Mix in onion and bell pepper. Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until pork is no longer pink and vegetables are softened, 13-15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Season mixture with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Add cooked rice to skillet with pork and vegetables and stir until well incorporated. Remove from heat. Add more Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste if you like. Set aside.
- Lay out 1 collard green leaf on a clean work surface. Place a mounded ½ cup of rice filling mixture in the upper center of the leaf. (You may need to use less filling if leaves are smaller.) Fold sides of the leaf towards the center on top of the filling. Fold over the top and roll the leaf, compressing the filling a bit to help hold it together. Repeat with remaining leaves. If you have leftover filling, it’s great fried up with a scrambled egg for breakfast.
- Add half of chicken broth for cooking wraps to the skillet or Dutch oven and repeat in a second pan. Bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low and place stuffed collard wraps into skillets. Cover and steam until the leaves and ribs can be easily pierced with a paring knife and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reaches 175°, about 20 minutes.
- Serve warm collard wraps with a side of remoulade sauce for dipping. Refrigerate any leftovers up to 1 day and serve cold or warm.
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