Tasty Treats By Michi

I  love, love, love lasagna.  Who doesn't though?  I mean it's great for large crowds, great to freeze, great to reheat, and just tastes amazing.  Recently I was invited to a large family party where they served lasagna.  Of course I could not eat it, which made me want to make a michi-friendly version at home immediately.  There are a million lasagna recipes, but I think the classic recipes are the best.  Of course, when cooking low fat nothing is "classic", but I try to make dishes taste as close to the original as possible.  I used turkey instead of sausage or ground beef and fat free cheese instead of full fat cheese.  The outcome was definitely better than expected.  The spinach in the dish added a lot of delicious flavor and the Lifetime cheeses have yet to disappoint.  I'll definitely be putting this into the rotation.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

• 9 - 12 lasagna noodles (depending on the size of your baking dish)
• 1 pound of extra lean ground turkey
• 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 
• 2/3 cup of onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, minced and divided
• 3 (6oz) cans of  tomato paste 
• 15 oz tomato sauce (I used Classico Tomato & Basil)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 15 oz fat free cottage cheese
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 
• 1/4 cup of Rice Grated Topping, Parmesan Flavor
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 cups fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded (Lifetime brand is best!)

Directions: 


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 


Cook the lasagna according to package directions.  Make sure to salt the pasta. Once al dente, take the noodles out of the water carefully with tongs and place them in a single layer on kitchen or paper towels.  This allows the noodles to dry straight without curling, which makes it easier to assemble the lasagna later. 

While the pasta is cooking, brown the turkey on medium heat in a medium pot with the olive oil. Crumble the turkey and make sure it is cooked evenly.  Add the onion, garlic, and 1/3 of the parsley to the pot.  Cook for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.  Mix in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, basil and oregano. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 


Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 cup of parsley, cottage cheese, spinach, parmesan topping, eggs, garlic salt, and pepper.  Beat the mixture well until everything is blended evenly. 


After the sauce has simmered, spread two cups of the tomato sauce evenly into a 9x13 baking dish (or the closest size you have).  Then, place 3-4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.  After that, spoon the spinach mixture on top of the noodles evenly in a thin layer.  Spoon more tomato sauce on top of the mixture and then sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Layer 3-4 more lasagna noodles on top and then the remaining spinach mixture.  Then spread half of the remaining sauce and another cup of mozzarella cheese.  The final layer will have 3-4 noodles, the remaining sauce, and the remaining cheese. 


Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook 10-15 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly (remember fat free cheese melts and looks differently than regular cheese).  Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes and serve.  


Bon Appetit! 

*Once again, this picture does not do the meal justice!  I didn't have time to take a picture of the turkey whole and this was right before we were digging in.* 

My mom makes the best turkey, hands down.  Everyone that has tried it always agrees! The turkey is never dry and always falls off the bone because it's so moist and delicious.  The best part is, it's incredibly easy to make and doesn't require you to wake up at the crack of dawn to get it done on time.  I use this same exact recipe to roast chickens as well, so you can enjoy this recipe year-round if you like!  


Ingredients: 

• 1 turkey, giblets & neck removed (skin removed as well if you are on the Swank diet)
• 1 bottle of Mojo Marinade (I use Goya since it doesn't have any MSG or mono & diglycerides) 
• Olive oil for brushing 
• 1 lemon, pierced  
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered  
• 1 head of garlic, top cut off to expose the cloves 
• 3-5 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• Kosher salt 
• Pepper 

Directions: 

The night before you want to cook the turkey, take out the neck and giblets, and pour about half the bottle of the mojo marinade on the outside of the turkey and inside the cavity. Cover the turkey with tin foil and put it in a roasting pan in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it the next day. 

The next day, begin by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.  After that, brush the entire outside of the turkey with olive oil.  Put salt and pepper all over the outside of the turkey and also inside the cavity. Then, put a pierced lemon inside the cavity, along with the head of garlic, about 3/4 of the bunch of thyme, and half of the yellow onion.  Also, put onion in the neck, and if it fits, some more garlic.  Finally, put a few sprigs of thyme under each arm of the turkey and some minced thyme and minced garlic sprinkled all over the outside of the turkey as well. 

Pour more mojo marinade over the turkey and inside the cavity, cover the turkey loosely with tinfoil and put it in the oven to bake. 

Use the table on the outside of the turkey bag in order to have an idea of how long the turkey will take to cook based on its weight.  I personally do not use a thermometer or any other tool to check if the turkey is done. Instead, I just check it every hour (at which time I baste it with some drippings or more mojo).  Once the legs are starting to fall out of the sockets and the juices are pretty much running clear, I uncover the turkey and cook it for about 20-30 more minutes so the outside can brown.  Check to make sure the turkey is cooked through (it should be since the legs were already falling out of the sockets before), cut it up, and serve it. 

That's it!  It's extremely easy and so delicious.  I have never had a dry turkey or chicken with this recipe and its very flavorful.  Enjoy!