FauxZagna

What is FauxZagna? It's DELICIOUS!! I have recently started the media-fast diet. Knowing that a huge portion of my diet would be vegetables and lean meat I cried. OK I didn't cry, but I wanted to. I LOVE me some food and I love to cook. So here I am with a fridge full of vegetables and all I can do is conjure up ideas for how to make an old time favorite into a new lean, mean, delicious machine!! Here are the ingredients you'll need:

1lb Ground Turkey. (I used Jenny-o extra lean)
1 Eggplant
1 Zucchini
1 Onion
1 Jar Tomato Sauce (I used Ragu no sugar added tomato basil)
Spinach
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Minced Garlic (about a spoonful) **It's up to you how much you want
Any seasoning you would like in there. I used an italian grinder of mixed flavors.

Now assemble into any oven safe dish that is deep enough. I used a round dish about 6in deep.

Brown the turkey meat on medium to medium high. I added spices and garlic during this process. Once brown set aside and let cool.

I used a mandolin to slice my vegetables, and when I am not careful my fingers. I ribboned the zucchini and sliced the eggplant to the same thickness.

I started my layer with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) Then 2 layers of eggplant and then some onions. Feel free to switch this up. Maybe add a layer of tomato to the bottom, etc....

NEXT: Add the seasoned/browned turkey meat. Honestly you could add any meat to this dish. If I wasn't on a diet I would be adding in beef, pork, etc etc...

NEXT: A nice layer of zucchini blanket. This one came from my garden, yes I am bragging.

NEXT: a layer of raw spinach (it will cook in the oven) I added some S&P and EVOO to this section to help with the cooking and flavor. Getting hungry yet?!?

NEXT: Tomato sauce tiiiiime!!! YUM! About 1/2 the jar here
NEXT: REPEAT layers until you reach close to the top and then viola! FauxZagna!! I added some eh-hem HOME GROWN basil to the top as well as parmesan cheese. I am not supposed to have a lot of cheese yet in my diet but a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do! Feel free to add fresh yummy creamy mozzarella to this dish throughout. This just happens to be my low calorie, low carb, yumminess version. Once assembled I like to refrigerate it for 1 hour to an hour and a half. Then bake on 350 for about 30-45 min. It all depends on thickness of veggies. That's what I am Gnoshin'!

Fresh out of the oven, and on this step you EAT!!