Mustard Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

A nice lean pork tenderloin sounded just perfect for tonight's dinner and as I browsed through MacGourmet, I came across this recipe from Cooking Light. The pork tenderloin got a rub of Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, and garlic before being dredged in a mixture of fresh breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, freshly grated cheese, and fresh thyme. Not only was this pork perfectly cooked and full of flavor, but it came in at 184 calories per serving. That makes it a perfect recipe in my book. I served this with mashed potatoes and a green salad with the Best Salad Dressing in the World.

The entire menu was really simple to pull off since the pork tenderloin only took a total of 35 minutes and the mashed potatoes took about 25 minutes as well. The salad was prepackaged (all I did was rinse it again) and I had leftover salad dressing in the refrigerator that I took out about 15 minutes before dinner.

From Cooking Light's website - Mustard Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin (Serves 4)

1 (1/2-oz.) slice white bread
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh Romano Cheese, grated
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 1 lb tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 clove garlic, minced
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place slice of bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/4 cup. Combine the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup 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 bread crumb mixture.

3. Place the 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.


Gerry and I disagree on the rating for this meal:
Gerry


Mona