Southern Cornbread Plate

This meal is really easy. It's one of those kind of things Sandra Lee would make and call "semi-homemade". They key is to grab a cornbread mix that's already vegan (my grocery has over a dozen brands, no kidding, and I would say half are dairy and egg free). For the cornbread, I substituted almond milk for milk, coconut oil for the butter/margarine and 1 very ripe banana for the egg that the recipe called for. I put the mixture into 2 small oiled bread loaves and followed the instructions on the package to bake. I also sautéed some collard greens with garlic and added red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. The greens are a perfect compliment to these smoky black beans along with fresh cherry tomatoes. Don't forget the Earth Balance butter to slather on the cornbread!

Smoky Beans
1 can black beans (drained, rinsed)
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 C water or broth
4 garlic cloves (minced)
2 bay leaves
salt
fresh ground black pepper

1. In a small saucepot heat a little oil to medium. Add garlic cloves and saute for 1-2 minutes. 2. Add black beans, liquid smoke, water, bay leaves and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Taste and season with salt and pepper.