Building A Better Cornbread Part 3: Mediterranean Flavor

This cornbread is the third in the Build A Better Cornbread series (read #1 & #2). We had a taste for cornbread because we haven't had it since version #2. But we needed to add a Mediterranean touch to the recipe to compliment the beans & greens we had for dinner. No problem. Cornbread is highly adaptable.

For a Mediterranean cornbread simply use Mediterranean flavors. I added onion and garlic which I first sauteed to soften and sweeten them. I also added rosemary, sage, and parmesean cheese. I should note that I took inspiration from my Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins and added fiber supplement and protein powder. Neither affect the taste of the finished product. Together they add only 50 calories to the entire recipe but I gained 5 grams soluble fiber and 6 grams of soy protein.

Speaking of nutritional data, someone had asked me for the numbers on the cornbread and the muffins. Cornbread numbers are below and muffin numbers I'll post very soon. So, to make the Mediterranean cornbread:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 rounded tsp fiber supplement
1 tsp protein powder
1 tsp crushed, dried rosemary
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix the two until just combined but don't over mix. Gently saute the onion and garlic in the teaspoon of olive oil. You don't need it to brown but you want it to cook and soften and sweeten. Fold this mixture into the batter. Spoon into a greased baking pan or muffin tin or, in my case, a scone pan. I baked for 15 minutes , turning the pan half way through because the back of our oven is hotter than the front.

The bread is again delicious. Next time I will add more onions and garlic. I like to start out a new version of something conservatively because you can always add more of anything.

These are really a great accent to dinner where pasta and greens are showcased. We made a great lunch of one of these with a couple slices of cheese and some roasted beets served cold. You can pack them for a picnic to have with sliced salami and mixed olives.

By the way, here is the nutritional data for the recipe made as described above, baked in an eight-sectioned scone pan. For one wedge:

Calories: 187
Fat: 4 grams
Fiber: 4.6
Protein: 6.5