Crispy Acorn Squash Rounds

I have a serious love for squash.  Case in point: the other day, I emailed my husband to tell him to "get excited" that we were having roasted butternut squash as part of dinner because it had been too long (read: several weeks).  And while I love different kinds of squash roasted or cooked with a little butter and brown sugar (I'm talking to you, buttercup squash), I was really intrigued when I found this recipe to make acorn squash into crispy, oven-baked rounds.

Of course, squash is pretty soft so don't expect an onion ring from this. But the panko gives this a nice crunch on the outside and I love the taste.  These rounds were good on their own but pretty incredible served with barbeque sauce. I halved this recipe and we still had enough for leftovers the next day.

I served this with buffalo chicken calzones and a salad.  Both these rounds and the calzones were so good that I woke up the next morning and couldn't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!

Crispy Acorn Squash Rounds
Taken from: How Sweet It Is
Serves 4-6 (I halved this recipe and got about 3 servings)

• 2 acorn squash, sliced into thin rounds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 6 sage leaves, chopped
• 1-2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a wire rack on top of the sheet. Spray rack with non-stick spray.
2. Peel acorn squash rounds if desired (I mostly peeled mine but there were a few areas that were too difficult). In one shallow bowl, add egg whites and lightly beat with a fork. In a second shallow bowl, mix together flour, sage, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, chili powder and nutmeg. Coat each squash round in the beaten egg white, then dredge through the cornmeal mixture, pressing to adhere. Gently place on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining squash. Right before baking, mist squash with a spritz of olive oil or non-stick spray.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, then gently flip (if desired), mist once more, and bake for about 20 minutes longer, or until squash is crispy and golden (I broiled mine for a minute or two at the end). Serve with dipping sauce of choice (I highly recommend barbeque sauce!).