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Collards Stuffed with Hoppin’ John

It’s only fitting that my first post of 2010 should be about Hoppin’ John. A Southern tradition, this tasty rice and black-eyed peas combo served with collard greens has been a New Year’s Day fixture in my house since the 1980s, when I lived in Charleston, S.C. What’s not to love about a dish that is delicious, cheap, easy to make, and also holds the promise of good luck in the coming year?

This year I made my usual Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day (you can find the recipe here), but I also wanted to break from tradition, so, the next day, I stuffed several steamed collard leaves with some of the Hoppin’ John — kind of like stuffed cabbage, Southern-style.

In anticipation, I had made a double batch of Hoppin’ John and bought extra collards, reserving several of the cooked leaves to use for stuffing. Since the ingredients were prepared ahead of time, it was a simple matter to stuff and roll the collards. I arranged them in a shallow baking dish and poured a small amount of vegetable broth over them. I then covered them with foil and baked them until hot.

Served with vegan sour cream, Tabasco, and a side of applesauce, the stuffed leaves have a wonderful flavor and they also make a gorgeous presentation. Those beautiful flat leaves are so much easier to work with than cabbage leaves — and much prettier too. I think these Hoppin’ John Stuffed Collards will be in a regular menu rotation throughout 2010.

{ 5 comments… add one }

  • Fayinagirl (means Free One) January 4, 2010, 7:39 pm

    Very creative take on a New Year's tradition. =) I like it!

  • Wendy January 4, 2010, 8:52 pm

    Oooh, I have lots of collards from my winter CSA to use up. Thanks for what looks like a great recipe!

  • Robin at Vegan Planet January 4, 2010, 9:04 pm

    Thanks, Fayinagirl. Glad you like it!

    Wendy: It really is a great way to use those collards from the CSA. It's a fun way to enjoy some basic ingredients.

  • Kim, Rambling Family Manager January 5, 2010, 7:29 am

    We made your Joggin' John from the Quick Fix Vegetarian book for our New Year's meal. There weren't any leftovers. 🙂

  • Erin January 5, 2010, 5:28 pm

    Hi Robin, We made the white bean, broccoli, potato and walnut dish from 100 Vegan Recipes. It was fantastic. I like broccoli and potatoes together anyway, but the beans helped make it a meal, boosted the protein and the walnuts give a depth to the dish that make it quite special.

    Toby the elderly chocolate lab (your new biggest fan) had only a taste as we packed up leftovers for lunches. It is also really awesome leftover.

    Loving the book so far. We have marked many pages for what we want to try.

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