Southern Flavors: Collard Greens & Naturally Sweetened Iced Tea!

Collard Greens.  Not something I typically ever intend on buying at the grocery store.  These leafy greens have somehow slipped my radar for nearly 30 years.  Then, they showed up in my CSA and were vibrant, fragrant and just waiting to be eaten.

I’ve debated even posting this dish as it is so incredibly simple, but that’s exactly why I like it.  Maybe there are readers out there like myself, who have received more collard greens from their CSA than they have even eaten in a lifetime and are looking for easy ways to incorporate them into meals.

I searched around for different recipes and started to learn how flexible these nutritious greens can be.  I saw them in soups, salads, side dishes and simply sauteed on their own.  So I decided to just go my own way and keep it simple.

I sautéed the collard greens in olive oil, topped them with a runny egg, Chanterelle Vanilla Salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil.  I loved how quickly this came together and how the gentleness of the egg really balanced out the bitter greens.

Now onto another southern flavor that I enjoy: iced tea!…

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nectresse™ Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently came home to find a package from NECTRESSE™Sweetener on my doorstep.  While I often use Splenda sweetener in my coffee or tea, I was shocked to find out they now have a new product!  After taking a closer look, I was even more intrigued to find out that it is made from monk fruit! To be completely honest, before trying this, I didn’t even know what monk fruit was.  Now I know it is a small green melon that grows in mountain regions in Asia, and is thought to be named after Buddist monks who first cultivated it centuries ago!  Nectresse Sweetener is the only 100% natural sweetner made from fruit and has zero calories.

So what did I use it for?  I decided to try it by adding one package in a chilled glass of iced green tea!  It added just the right amount of sweetness and made for the perfect refreshing summer drink!

To make this: simply brew your favorite tea by steeping tea in hot water for 3-5 minutes, add 1 packet of Nectresse per serving while the water is still hot, pour into a large glass (or glass pitcher if you’re making a larger batch) and add ice.  Serve and enjoy!

Guess what?! You can try it too!  Click here to try a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener!  It is also available in grovery stores, drug stores and superstores.  You can also learn more about it from watching this Lisa Ling Video!