Banana Nut French Toast

I love weekends. And I really love cooking on weekends. Just so happens I also love a big breakfast on the weekend. Most weekends I’ll make my famous pancakes. That recipe is top secret. I toss in some chocolate chips for the kids, and bacon and pecans for the wife. I prefer my pancakes plain. With a fried egg in between. So good.

But since the first of the year, the family is on a healthy lifestyle program (aka diet). What I like about that is it challenges me to find new foods that are filling, but not fattening. And they really need to taste good. This one is really good. Peggy tells me it’s too good to be healthy.  The trick is to find a dense bread. We love the Tuscan loaf. I buy it at SuperTarget, but I have seen it at several places. Another nice thing is if you have an overripe banana, what do you do with it? Not enough for banana bread, right? Here’s a healthier option. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Banana Nut French Toast

Serves 2

1 banana (ripe)

1 packet sweetener (optional)

1 egg

2 egg whites

¼ cup skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 slices Tuscan bread (28 g per slice)

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Mash the banana and mix in sweetener until mushy (that’s a technical cooking term).

Whip the eggs until frothy. Add milk, continue to whip.  Add banana mixture and vanilla and mix well (I use a hand blender at each step).

Dip bread into egg mixture, soaking both sides, and place in hot, preheated skillet coated with non-stick spray. While in the skillet, sprinkle pecans on top of the uncooked side of the bread.  Cook until each side is golden brown.

Serve with light maple syrup. Two slices (one serving) is only 290 calories, without the syrup.

Pork Cutlets with Pineapple Salsa

Maybe cause it’s the dead of winter with highs in the single digits, or maybe it’s because we have not abandoned our New Year’s resolution of healthy living, but I have been craving citrus. I love clementines, and having made the citrus salsa for the scallops last week had me looking to make it even better.  

I found some small, thin boneless pork chops at the store. Each cut is around 2 oz and about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Perfect for some cutlets. I love pineapple on pork, so let’s see where this goes.

Pork Cutlets with Pineapple Salsa

Serves 4

Pineapple Salsa (prepared 1 day in advance)

1 - 8 oz can pineapple (crushed or finely diced) with juice

¼ cup diced onion (I used white)

¼ cup diced bell peppers (I mixed Red, Yellow, Orange for color)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon orange juice (optional)

1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and finely diced (optional)

Make the salsa by combining all of the ingredients, mixing well, and refrigerating overnight.

Pork Cutlets

8 thin boneless pork chops (around 2 oz each)

½ cup flour

2 teaspoons paprika

¼ cup milk

2/3 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by pounding any pork chop greater than 1/2” thick to approximately 1/4”. Rinse the pork chops and pat dry.  Preheat a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.

Combine the flour and paprika in one dish and the bread crumbs, salt and pepper in another. Coat the pork chops with flour, place in the milk, and then coat well with bread crumbs. Place in the pan for approximately 3 to 4 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Cooking several at time, plate the cooked cutlets and cover with foil to keep warm.

Top the cutlets with the salsa, and enjoy!