Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread, Zucchini Parmesan Crisps, and Creamed Spinach-Chard

Todays dinner was made using the zucchini, sage, spinach and chard that came in Wednesday's CSA box. Crispy zucchini breaded with grated fresh parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs, a very simple, very easy 4 ingredient (not including salt and pepper) recipe from foodnetwork.com by Ellie Krieger (yes the Healthy Appetite woman). To make up for the lack of calories I paired it with some creamed spinach-chard from Paula Deen, and an elegant spin on cornbread with sage and honey. Let me tell you , this was delicious!

Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread

• 1 cup cornmeal (preferably whole grain, medium grind)
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage plus 12 whole fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup whole milk <-- successfully substituted with the same measure of buttermilk
• 1/2 cup honey <-- For this recipe I used only 1/3 cup
• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat heavy 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) in oven 10 minutes.

Whisk first 4 ingredients and 2 teaspoons chopped sage in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, honey, and egg in medium bowl to blend.

Remove skillet from oven; add 1/2 cup butter. Swirl until butter is melted. Pour all except 2 tablespoons butter into egg mixture. Add whole sage leaves to butter in skillet; toss to coat. Arrange leaves over bottom of skillet, spacing apart.

Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined (do not overmix; batter will be wet and runny). Pour batter over sage leaves in skillet. Bake until browned around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in skillet 10 minutes. Invert onto platter. If necessary, reposition sage leaves atop cornbread.

From: www.epicurious.com

Creamed Spinach

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Vidalia onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 bunches spinach, stemmed and chopped <-- I used half fresh spinach and half fresh chard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and then add the olive oil. Mix in the onions and garlic; cook for 2 minutes until soft. Add the chopped spinach and warm through. Add the salt, nutmeg and the heavy cream. Mix well. Cook until liquid reduces by half, roughly 3 to 4 minutes.

From: www.foodnetwork.com

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

• Cooking spray
• 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
• 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs <-- I used Panko Bread crumbs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

From: www.foodnetwork.com