Kitchen adventure: collard green egg rolls

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of making something with collard greens?  It's probably not egg rolls, but they are a delicious twist on a southern staple and a great way to use an abundant harvest from my garden. These are easy to make and substitute collard greens (or kale if you like) for the usual cabbage.  They make a great dish for entertaining and it's a delicious way to add more healthy greens into your diet.  These have been popular appetizers when I've served them to guests.

Filling mixture before rolling and finished rolls ready for cooking or freezing for later use.

Collard green egg rolls

makes 16

1 bunch of collard greens (or kale) stems removed and roughly chopped
3 cups mung bean sprouts, rinsed or additional small bunch of greens
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Thai basil, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
Bragg's amino acids, soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons sesame oil
package of egg roll wrappers
Vegetable oil (canola, olive or peanut) for cooking
Favorite sweet and sour, hot sauce or peanut sauce for dipping

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat
2. Add in and saute the onion, garlic and ginger until translucent and fragrant  
3. Add in the chopped greens and saute just until limp but still bright green
4. Toss in the bean sprouts, if using, until thoroughly mixed
5. Remove from heat and season with Bragg's or soy sauce to taste
6. Stir in the sesame oil
7. Cool filling for 15 minutes
8. Fill and roll the egg roll wrappers according to the package directions
9. To bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Brush the egg rolls with olive or peanut oil and bake turning over after about 20 minutes.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes until brown and crisp.   To shallow fry, heat about 1/2 inch of cooking oil until hot and cook the egg rolls until crisp and brown without crowding the pan.  Drain on absorbent toweling before serving.  
10. Serve with your favorite sweet and sour, hot sauce or peanut sauce for dipping

These can be frozen before cooking on a cookie sheet and stored in a storage bag or container until ready to cook.  Cook without thawing or the wrapper will get soggy from the filling.

Thanks for reading!

Collard greens and Thai basil used in this recipe along with a harvest of green, wax, purple and Asian long beans, squash, tomatoes, jalapeno and ground cherries