Banana Pecan Biscotti

This is a great recipe for the holidays. It reminds me of banana bread when it is baking in the oven, which always makes me feel like I am home with mom. I added a little maple flavoring to the recipe because whenever my mom made banana bread when I was living at home, she would always make a maple glaze to put over the top. It was the best part of the bread. In this case though, I opted for a dark chocolate drizzle for the top. Who wouldn't love that?

I adapted a cooking light recipe to create a delicious holiday biscotti perfect for gift giving. I just sent these and gingerbread biscotti to my brother who lives out of state. I will post the gingerbread recipe soon.

Banana Pecan Biscotti
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 bananas)

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or canola)

1 teaspoon molasses (optional)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple flavor extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 large eggs

3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Cooking spray

Dark chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine banana, oil, vanilla, maple, molasses and egg in a medium bowl; stir in flour mixture and pecans (dough will be sticky).

With a dough scraper or spatula divide dough into 4 parts. Scoop dough onto parchment lined baking sheets; shaping dough into 4 (8-inch-long) rolls with wet hands. Flatten to 1/2-inch thickness.

Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 12 (1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 250°; bake 12 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake an additional 12 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire racks.

Drizzle with dark chocolate if desired.

Ham and Asparagus Frittata

Asparagus is an elegant and delicious vegetable that pops up in all sorts of appetizers and entrees with the arrival of spring. It is a delightful addition in this tasty Italian omelet called a frittata. It can be served for breakfast, brunch or even dinner!

Ham and Asparagus Frittata
By Mixed Salad Annie - Adapted from Cooking Light
2/3 cup chopped lower-sodium ham (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped leeks
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers, patted dry with paper towels
1/2 cup slices asparagus (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat broiler.

Scrample egg whites and eggs in a medium bowl; mix in ham, cheese, black pepper and salt.
Heat the olive oil in a 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, roasted peppers, and asparagus; sauté 3-5 minutes. Add egg mixture; reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, 3 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Wrap handle of pan with foil; broil 3 minutes or until egg is set. Cut into 4 wedges.

Light and Crunchy Pepperoni Pan Pizza

Deep Dish=Delish!

In an effort to keep with my light and healthy theme, I recently adapted a recipe for Pepperoni Pan Pizza from America's Test Kitchen. I know that America's Test Kitchen pain stakingly tests each recipe that they create many times so that we don't have to, but I decided to change it in order to lighten it up a bit.
The technique is all America's Test Kitchen. The ingredients are very similar, only I swapped the pepperoni to turkey pepperoni and used less cheese. I did change a few other things, but for the most part it is basically the same. The result is just what America's Test Kitchen said it would be...A super crispy crust and a tender inside! It was delicious, but don't take my word for it...For a variation add some sliced black olives, as suggested by Amy, one of my taste testers!

Speaking of taste testers, I have added a fun and exiting new dimension to my blog (for this post anyway). Video taste testers. I figured it would give you all the chance to see how light and healthy food can still be delicious. Of course I told my taste testers to remain totally honest and say whatever they think about the food. AND THEY DID. In this post they tasted the lighter version of Pepperoni Pan Pizza for the first time. The first bite they took was on tape, no editing, no prompting, just real time, honest to goodness tasting. Check it out...

Just to fill you in on what happened after the video, my tasters gobbled up 2 more slices of the pizza and raved about how delicious it was. (I should have waited til then to video them, haha). I think by then their rating went to a 9 1/2!
My mom was the third taster and must have told me about 5 times how delicious it was. She will be my video taster in future posts, although she may wear a disguise because she is camera shy (hahaha).

Light and Crunchy Pepperoni Pan Pizza
adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Dough
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package instant yeast
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 6 tablespoons (for pans)
¾ cups + 2 tablespoons skim milk (200 ml)
Topping
48 slices turkey pepperoni
1 1/3 cups tomato sauce (recipe below)
1 2/3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided equally
Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 26 oz. can kitchen ready tomatoes (or crushed) I used Pastene Kitchen Ready
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Heat oven to 200 degrees or lower. Once the oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Grease a large bowl with olive oil. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to each of two non-stick 9-in cake pans; tilt the pans to cover only the bottom with the oil.

For sauce: Add garlic and tablespoon of oil to a cold medium saucepan. Turn on heat to low/simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add in tomato paste and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir and cook on medium low heat anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour, or until the sauce is thickened. Set aside to cool.

For dough: Add milk to a glass measuring cup and place it in the microwave for around 40 seconds on high. Check temperature with an instant read thermometer. It should be around 100 degrees (but no more than 110º). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sugar to the milk.

Add flour, yeast, and salt to stand mixer. Attach dough hook and mix on low speed. Slowly begin to add the milk mixture. Once dough comes together and most of the flour is incorporated, increase speed to medium-low and mix for about about 5 minutes. The dough should be shiny and smooth.

Lightly flour a work surface, kneed the dough 2 to 3 times and shape dough into a ball. Place dough in previously greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the warm oven for about 30 minutes. It should be doubled in size. Remove from oven.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface, cut in half and gently shape each half into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 7" round. Gently place dough round onto your fists and move the dough around in a circular motion until each round measures about 9 ½ inches in diameter. The dough should be slightly thinner in the center and thicker around the edges.
Very gently place the rounds into oiled pans, being careful not to get oil on the top. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and set them aside (in a warm place, but not in oven) for about 10-20 minutes.

In the meantime, line a plate with paper towels and place half of the pepperoni in a single layer. Cover the pepperoni with paper towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove pepperoni, discard paper towels and repeat same process with remaining pepperoni.

Add 2/3 cup sauce on each dough round, being sure to leave a ½ inch border around edges. Add equally divided cheese to each round and top each with 24 slices of pepperoni. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the edges are browned. Let rest in pans for 1 minute. Using a non-stick spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board. Slice into 8 pieces and devour.

Roasted Chicken with Dried Plums and Shallots

Something Different for a Change...

When I read this recipe I thought, oooh that sounds different. And it certainly was different from my usual chicken dishes. I'm sure some of you are cringing right now at the thought of dried plums (better known as prunes) in a chicken dinner. But I'm telling you, it was pretty good. The dried plums gave just a slight sweet note to the vegetable sauce along with a mellow bite from the garlic... And the caramelized fennel, what can I say except, YUM. If you have never tried caramelized fennel, it is time. If you want to try it for the first time I recommend Roasted Fennel with Parmesan from Giada DeLaurentiis. You will become a fennel-ite, like me! :)

Roasted Chicken with Dried Plums and Shallots
adapted from Cooking Light

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 -2 lb whole chicken breast (about 2 pounds)
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 large shallots, peeled and halved (about 8 ounces)
2 thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 large fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges
16 pitted dried plums
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon gravy master

Preheat oven to 400o.

Drizzle oil in a small roasting pan or the bottom of a broiler pan. Place pan in oven 5 minutes or until oil is hot. Sprinkle chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken, skin side down, in pan. Arrange garlic, shallots, thyme sprigs, and fennel around chicken; drizzle remaining 2 teaspoons oil over vegetables and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 400o for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Turn chicken over; stir vegetables. Add plums to pan. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until chicken is done (160-165o). Remove chicken and vegetable mixture from pan; discard thyme sprigs. Discard skin. Loosely cover chicken and vegetable mixture; keep warm.

Place pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup broth and wine, stirring to loosen browned bits. Combine flour and remaining 1/4 cup broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan; stir until well blended. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in gravy master, chopped thyme, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve sauce with the chicken and vegetable mixture.

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

I Think He Retired... So I Made My Own!

A few weeks ago, I was on The Cookbook Junkies blog and she had made the most delicious looking orange berry muffins. She got the recipe from Dorie (I can't remember her blog name) but I've been there before and enjoyed it.

Anyway, I decided to make a version of that recipe and the low-fat blueberry muffin recipe from America's Test Kitchen that I usually make. Only this time I used 5 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil instead of 4 tablespoons of butter and I added more blueberries. The turned out really good.

Orange Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cup blueberries*, washed and dried
2 cups plus 1 Tbl. all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites (from large eggs)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbls. canola oil
5 Tbls. virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
Grated zest and juice of 1 small to medium orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Double wrap the blueberries in freezer bags and freeze for at least an hour or overnight, as frozen ones won't all sink in the batter. Don't take them out until the batter is made and oven is preheated.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, run the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange is strong. Whisk egg whites and brown sugar together until thoroughly combined. Gradually whisk in melted coconut oil and canola oil, then buttermilk, orange juice and vanilla until well blended.

Fold into dry mixture with rubber spatula (a few streaks of flour should remain).
Remove blueberries from freezer and toss with remaining tablespoon flour in small bowl. Gently fold blueberries into batter, being careful not to break berries.
Distribute batter in muffin tin and bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Italian Pesto Turkey Burgers

If you want to satisfy a burger craving, this is the answer!

Even though my Italian pesto turkey burgers are actually healthy, you'd hardly even notice. These quarter pounders offer a lighter alternative to the traditional beef patty, but truly pack a punch to your appetite. And even though they are lean, they are so juicy and flavorful.

To make this recipe even quicker and easier, you can use bottled pesto or do what I do ~ Make a batch of pesto without adding the cheese and freeze a portion of it in an ice cube tray. When the pesto is frozen, store it in a plastic freezer bag. When you're ready to use it, just take out a couple of cubes, let them defrost and mix in some grated parmigiano cheese. It also works great for quick pasta dishes, but in this case, add a little pasta water in addition to the cheese, to the pesto before mixing in the pasta. Give it a try!

Italian Pesto Turkey Burgers

1 pound lean ground turkey (I used dark meat, which is about 93% lean)
2 1/2 tablespoons basil pesto, plus more for topping on bun
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Regiano cheese, or parmesan in a pinch
1/4 cup bread crumbs, (I used Italian flavored panko breadcrumbs)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 light hamburger buns, toasted lightly on grill

Preheat grill on medium-high heat. (I used a stove top grill and heated it over medium heat)

1. Mix together pesto, egg white, garlic, parmigiano cheese, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Add the ground turkey and mix until evenly blended. (Do not over work the meat or it will be tough when cooked)
   
2. Form into 4 equal size patties.
3. Grill pesto burgers for about 4-5 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the center. 180 degrees on an instant read thermometer. (Mine were cooked in about 8 minutes total.)
   
4. Place each burger atop a toasted bun, top with a slice of fresh tomato and spread additional pesto on the bun tops.
   

Fresh Corn Salad

Quick & Easy Summer Meal For One

The best way to enjoy the tastes of summer is in salads. Fresh corn on the cob is delicious anyway you eat it, but throw in some cannellini beans for protein, fresh chopped garden tomatoes, kalamata and green olives for zest, fresh lime juice for zing, fresh garden herbs and now you've got a healthy and delicious meal for one.

It's so easy...
Just boil 1 corn the cob for 10 minutes in water with a little salt and sugar covering the corn half way. Drain and set aside. When cool, cut off the kernels and place in a medium bowl.

Add
2 tablespoons of drained and rinsed cannellini beans
1/2 garden tomato (chopped)
3 sliced kalamata olives
3 sliced green olives
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh assorted fresh herbs (parsley, basil, thyme, etc.)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Add a dash of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, mix and your done!

Sirloin Burger with Tomato-Corn Salsa

Go Bunless!

I have made history with this post. This is the first time I have ever posted a hamburger! I know, crazy isn't it? Well it is a lot healthier than your average burger. It is 93% lean naturally raised beef sirloin. Plus, I broiled mine instead of frying. (I don't own a grill.)

Since it was kind of heafty for me (it was a little over a quarter pound), I decided to skip the bun and top it with salsa instead. I altered a recipe that I found on the food network website from Sara Moulton for Turkey Burgers with Tomato-Corn Salsa. The salsa was pretty good. My sirloin burger was too!

By the way I served it with the Baked Sweet Potato Fries that I posted a while back.

Sirloin Burgers with Tomato Corn Salsa

Salsa:
12 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped (I used 1 large organic field tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
1/2 cup cooked fresh corn or thawed frozen corn kernels (I used fresh)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I used my own grown Italian parsley)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Burgers:
4 - 1/4 pound 93% lean sirloin burgers
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon grill seasoning
Dash of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To make the salsa: Toss the tomatoes with the salt and drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Combine the tomatoes, corn, lime juice, garlic, cilantro/parsley, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss well.

To make the burgers: Preheat the oven broiler. Season the burgers with the the grill seasoning and salt and pepper. Spray a foil lined baking sheet with the cooking spray and place the burgers on it. Cook for about 3 minutes per side for medium well or to your liking.

Top with salsa and serve immediately.

Turkey Waldorf Salad

A Healthy and Light Summer Salad...So Yummy!

I love light dishes like this in the summer. They are not too filling on a warm day, but satisfying and healthy. It's a great way to incorporate more fruits into your diet. And we all know how important it is too eat our fruits and vegetables, especially organic. The vitamins are at their peak when the fruit is raw and the fiber is highest when eaten with the peel. This salad has both.

The lightness of the salad comes from the fat-free yogurt dressing. Not only does it give a delicious creamy texture, but it also provides calcium, protein and most importantly: pro-biotics which are so important for digestion and health in general.

The classic waldorf salad does not include turkey, but I like the added protein it provides. Plus it gives the salad more substance and can be eaten as your main course. Of course, you could substitute chicken for the turkey, both work well.

Waldorf Turkey/Chicken Salad
adapted from Cooks.com

6 0z. container of plain low fat yogurt (I used stonyfield organic)

1 tbsp. mayonaise
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (I used organic raw unfiltered)
1/8 tsp. salt
dash of pepper

SALAD:

2 c. cubed cooked turkey or chicken (I used naturally raised turkey which I roasted the day before)
1 c. chopped apple (I used one organic fuji apple and squeezed fresh lemon juice on top to prevent browning before adding to salad)
1 c. halved red grapes (I used organic)
1/2 c. thinly sliced celery (I used organic)
1/2 c. raisins (I plumped them in water, then squeezed out water in paper towels)
lettuce leaves (I used organic romaine)
Handful of walnuts, whole or pieces

In small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients; blend well. In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients except lettuce and walnuts. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently. Cover. Refrigerate 1-2 hours to blend flavors. Stir salad before serving. Serve on 4 lettuce lined plates. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Light Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe from Cooking Light came in handy recently when I found myself with some leftover cooked chicken. I loved the idea of using phyllo dough for the crust. A lot of recipes use rich, fattening crusts that taste absolutely delicious, but my thighs may have a different opinion.

Since the phyllo dough is just lightly sprayed with canola oil cooking spray, the calories and fat content are kept in check.

I changed a few ingredients due to the fact that I had different vegetables on hand and opted to use less milk and more chicken broth. One thing that I noticed though, was that the juice was a lot thinner than it should have been and I wonder if is because of the change I had made. It's easy correct anyway, just add a little more flour.

Chicken Pot Pie
by Cooking Light

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced red potato (about 1 pound), I omitted the potatoes
2 cups diced onion, I used shallots
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 ounces), I omitted the mushrooms
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup chopped green beans, my addition
1 cup chopped broccoli spears and florets, my addition
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, I used 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, I should have increased this to 3 tablespoons
3 cups fat-free milk, I used 2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth, I used 1 1/2 cups
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 12 ounces)
1 cup frozen green peas, I used 2 cups
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (14 x 9-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add oil. Add potatoes and next 6 ingredients (through thyme), and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle flour over vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in milk and broth. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, peas, salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); lightly spray with cooking spray. Repeat layers with cooking spray and remaining phyllo. Place phyllo layers loosely on top of mixture in dish. Place dish on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until top is golden. Yield 6 servings.

Grapenut Chocolate Chunk Cranberry Biscotti

Yes Grapenuts!

Now that I got your attention, don't turn your nose up at the idea. It's a great way to eat your whole grains and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time. It is a lighter recipe in terms of fat and lower sugar.

I love to recreate recipes by adding healthy ingredients and tweaking the not so good for you additions. The idea came to me because I had an open box of Grapenuts that I wasn't eating and I didn't not want to waste them.

I have a favorite recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Biscotti, and somehow I thought to swap out the oatmeal for the grapenuts and alter a few more things. The result was supurb. These cookies are so unique, the grapenuts keep their texture and you can really taste that distinctive grapenut flavor.

Grapenut Chocolate Chunk Cranberry Biscotti
A healthy and delicious change of pace

3/4 cup butter or margarine (I used 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup Smart Balance Spread)
1/2 cup brown sugar, Packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used turbanado sugar)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 egg whites
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups grapenuts
1 cup chocolate chunks
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Fold mixture in with flour and baking powder. Mix in grapenuts, chocolate chunks and walnuts.

Spoon dough onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets to form logs the length of the cookie sheet and about 2-3 inches wide. Shape gently with floured hands until the log is smooth.

Bake for about 22-24 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Slice logs diagonally and place on sides. Put biscotti back in oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container or wrap thoroughly and freeze for up to 4-5 months.

I think I got a bad cut of meat.

This would have been really tasty...

I was really excited about trying this recipe for pork tenderloin that I saw in Cooking Light magazine. I book marked the page and waited for a sale. Bingo, this week it went on sale and I bought my first pork tenderloin. It only weighed about 3/4 pound, but that was plenty since I was only cooking for two.
The recipe seemed great, but the pork just did not come out right. Once cooked, the flesh seemed dark and not white like I've seen everyone else's pork tenderloin turn out. It also was not tender, in fact, it was quite tough to chew. I know I didn't over cook it, because I used my probe thermometer and with the carry over cooking included, it registered 162 degrees. It was a big disappointment. There is no explanation of what happened, so I can only wonder if it was a bad cut of meat.
I will try it again, because the flavor of the seasoning was pretty darn good.

Mustard Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Recipe by Cooking Light magazine

1 (1/2 ounce) slice white bread (I used wheat since it was all I had)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons grated fresh Romano cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (I used 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (I used finely ground anise seed)
1 garlic clove, minced (I grated mine very fine on my microplane)
Cooking spray (I used non-stick aluminum foil)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Place slice of bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/4 cup. Combine the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, cheese, and 2 teaspoons thyme in a shallow dish. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Combine Dijon mustard, fennel seeds, and garlic in a small bowl. Rub pork with mustard mixture, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Place pork on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees (slightly pink). Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Yield: 4 servings (serving size 3 ounces pork).

I hope yours turns out better than mine! Good Luck!