Foodie Friday returns: Cajun-style collards

I have to start this post by thanking my friend Paula, who gave me her weekly CSA share from Roxbury Farm since she wasn't going to be around to get it this week. I got a nice bag of just-picked collards in the mix and couldn't decide what to do with them. Enter Vegan Planet, an awesome cookbook that even non-vegans will find hard not to love. (I'll have to post the sweet potato black bean enchiladas another week.)

I made these Cajun-style collards in between running kids to and from dance class and horseback riding lessons. Pretty simple and super delicious. Give them a try next time you find some nice collard greens at your local farmer's market or grocery store.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 pounds collard greens
1 Tbls olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1/2 green pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 oz-ounce can diced tomatoes (they say drained, but I used undrained)
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp file powder (I didn't have this on hand; worked fine without it, although I'm sure it would be much better with it since it is Cajun, after all.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Cook the collards in boiling salted water for 20 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop.
2. Saute onion, celery, pepper, garlic in olive oil until softened, about five minutes. Stir in tomatoes, thyme, cayenne, and file. Add collards and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat collards with onion mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes until flavors marry. I threw in a few tablespoons of water because my mixture seemed to be getting too dry, even with undrained tomatoes. Serve hot.

The carnivores in the house had this with smoked pork chops. I simply opted to put this on top of rice with a side of steamed butternut squash. A yummy fall dinner.

What are your favorite fall foods? I'm looking for a great recipe for the head of red cabbage I got in the farm share this week. Any ideas other than slaw?