Hubby's Favorite Dinner

My husband's most favorite dinner in the whole world is homemade cornbread, black-eyed peas, and sauteed greens of any sort. This is what we had for dinner on Thursday, as planned. Don't be scared off by what seems like many steps -- it's actually a super simple supper to put together, as you do the peas and the greens in the 20 minutes that the cornbread is baking.

Also, if you're not a baker, don't be afraid! I'm not a baker either. Cornbread is unbelievably easy to make, and very very forgiving. It does not require the precision of regular baking. I promise.

Dena's Cornbread, Black-eyed Peas, & Greens

First, the cornbread:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.

Combine 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup whole wheat flour (you can of course substitute all-purpose if you prefer), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in medium mixing bowl.

Combine 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1 large egg in a small bowl; mix well until egg is distributed throughout.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

While bread is baking:

Mince 6-8 cloves garlic and throw half into 2 tbsp olive oil in 2-3 quart pot set on medium-high. Let it get fragrant and yellow, then add 3 cans organic black-eyed peas. Stir and let simmer for about 3 minutes. Then add salt to taste, a dash of cumin, and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Set it to medium-low to simmer.

Roughly chop greens of your choice -- I used dino kale -- and rinse. Add remaining 3-4 cloves of garlic to 2 tbsp olive oil in large saute pan set on medium-high. When garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes later, add greens and toss with tongs. Let them sit for about a minute and toss again. Repeat until greens are vibrant green color and slightly wilted. Move off heat and serve immediately alongside cornbread topped with black-eyed peas.

Garnish with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper and enjoy extremely comforting food.