Cajun Stuffed Collard Green with Red Pepper sauce
Delicious and healthy vegan collard green recipe with barley, cajun seasoning and a creamy red pepper sauce.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 bunch collard greens
- 1 cups pearl barley
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
Spices
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
Creamy red pepper sauce
- 150g soft tofu about ¾ cup
- 1 roasted red pepper I use the kind from a jar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- dash of hot sauce optional
Instructions
Blanch collard greens
- Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Fill a large clean bowl with ice-cold water. Add washed collard greens to boiling water. Cook for 1 minute, then using thongs, remove the collard greens and plunge into ice water. Chill for a minute or so; this process helps the greens keep their bright colour. Drain the ice water and pat the collard greens dry.
- Using a small knife, remove the thick part of the stems and set aside.
Make red pepper sauce
- Add roasted red peppers, soft tofu, garlic and hot sauce to a blender; blend on high until everything is well incorporated. Set aside.
Make filling
- Heat olive oil in a large pot; add onions, garlic, green pepper, celery and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in spices: garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, and salt to taste. Add washed pearl barley and continue mixing until the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add broth, bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer, cover, and continue to cook until the barley is soft, chewy and tripled in volume, about 25 minutes.
Assemble
- Lay the blanched collard green wrappers flat on a clean work surface. Add about 1/2 a cup of stuffing to the middle of the wrapper above where the stem was removed. Fold the top side over the stuffing then roll in the left and right sides inward, and tightly roll the wrapper. Lay the rolls in a deep dish or serving plate.
- Pour red pepper sauce over the stuffed collard greens rolls before serving.
Notes
Skip the spices and use about 2.5 teaspoons of premade Cajun spice mix instead.