Collards and Rice

This recipe is from Amy Cotler's One-Pot Vegetarian Dishes. I like it because it's yummy, simple, vegan, and a great way to get those oh-so-good-for-you-collards and beans into your bod. I use brown rice instead of white, which is in the original recipe, and add the collards later in the cooking process. For those of you who don't often cook with beans, it's highly recommended to soak them overnight with the juice of one lemon to make them easier to digest.

Ingredients:

1 bunch collards, stems removed, and chopped coarsely
1/2 T butter
1 T olive oil
3 large leeks (white and tender greens) well-rinsed and chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1.5 cups brown basmati rice
1 can stewed tomatoes (or stew your own fresh, when they're in season)
1 32 oz. carton broth (vegetable or chicken)
1 15 oz. can black-eyed peas, or about 1.5 cups you've cooked yourself

Melt butter with olive oil over medium heat and add leeks and garlic, cooking until the leeks start to brown. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover with wax paper, then pot lid. Cook, stirring once, for 30 min., before adding the collards. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, adding the beans during the last 5 min. of cooking. Serve in bowls with hot sauce on the side. Great the next day.