CHEF JULIA

Well I finally decided to start learning how to cook. I got my mom to take me to the store and I picked up enough stuff to try out a few new recipes that come from this great book for Weight lost Surgery patients. Last night i made No-Noodle Zuchinni Lasagna and my family loved it! I on the other hand still need to get use to the taste of SPINACH it has never been my favorite but all in all the taste was pretty good. Kayla called me the new chef of the family. She said I can be the healthy chef anyways here are a couple of pictures of my creation.

Here is the recipe for all to enjoy:
No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

You will need:
1/2 pound (1 large) Zucchini, sliced vertically into 6-8 1/8- inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
olive oil cooking spray or canola works
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 pound lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup skim milk
1- 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drainned, and squeezed dry...(I used fresh spinach)
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400f
2. Lay zucchini slices on a double thickness of paper towels, sprinkle with salt, cover with more paper towels, and let stand for 15 minutes
3. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay zucchini slices in 1 layer and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. Coat bottom of medium skillet with cooking spray and cook over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Brown onion and garlic for 2 minutes add mushrooms and brown for 2 minutes
5. Add ground turkey and brown, stirring to break up, for 3 minutes, remove from heat
6. In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in spainach, ricotta cheese, parsley, nutmeg, oregano, and 2 tablespoons of parmesan
7. Spoon 1/2 of spinach mixture in the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan or casserole dish, then layer on half the mushroom/turkey mixture and lay 3or 4 slices of zucchini on top. Repeat layers, ending with a zuchini layer. Sprinkle with mozzarella and the remaing 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese and bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 4 servings
suggested serving is 1 cup

Recipe from "Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery