The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Karli]

Okay, I concocted this today and there will be a couple of things I do differently next time, but here is a start (it sounds and looks harder than it is, I just wanted to be thorough) :



Lasagna
(serve with 1.25 cups Green Salad/raw veggies or 3/4 cup cooked)

Prep Time : 20 mins
Cook Time : 1 hour
Yield : 6 servings

Ingredients

"Lasanga Noodles" :

1 large Eggplant*, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1/8") -- in place of lasagna pasta

*can substitute with zucchini, thinly sliced (you will need more than one)

Filling (Lean) :

1 cube Firm Tofu (though, next time I will use soft and add mozz)
2 C Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1 large egg
3 Tblsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2 Tblsp dried Oregano
1/2 Tblsp dried Basil
Sprinkle of tyme
bit of Rosemary
Garlic powder (to taste)
salt and pepper

Approximate nutritional value of the filling alone, per serving (1/6th of the dish) :

Calories : 120
Fat : < 5
Carbs : < 4
Protein : 15

Tomato Sauce :
2 -14.5 oz cans of stewed tomatoes, cubed
2 packets sugar free sweetner
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Dash of cinnamon
dash of red pepper flakes
bit of oregano
bit of basil


Directions

Just Prep :

Preheat oven to 375. Open package of tofu and drain the excess water. Set tofu on a plate and cover with a sheet of waxed paper. Place a second plate on top of the tofu (on top of the waxed paper) and set something heavy inside the plate (I used an iron skillet -- but don't use something this heavy with soft tofu). This is to squeeze the water from inside the tofu, giving the tofu a more "spongey" consistency (as well as able to soak up more flavorings). Let sit for approximately 10 minutes.

Slice "noodles" and set a single layer in the bottom of a sprayed, 13x9 baking dish, mostly covering the bottom of the dish. Finish slicing "noodles" and set aside. Chop Onion for the filling and set aside.

Sauce :

Open both cans of stewed tomatoes, draining one. Empty both cans into a bowl. Add the packets of sweetner and stir to blend. Add remaining ingredients until well mixed. Set aside.

Filling :

In a medium sized mixing bowl, put in tofu and crumble with a fork until it's texture resembles ricotta cheese. Add cottage cheese and stir together with the fork or a rubber spatula (you will want this spatula later anyway). Add the egg (I just cracked it into the mix) and stir it all up until well blended. Add Parmesan cheese and stir everything again until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.

Putting it all together :

With rubber spatula, "cut" mixture in half and plop onto the bottom layer of "noodles," spreading evenly over the entire bottom. Add another layer of "noodles" and then the second half of the filling, spreading evenly over the second layer of "noodles." Add a third layer of "noodles" and cover with tomatoe sauce mixture. Very lightly sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake it :

Set the baking dish on top of a large cookie sheet (just in case liquids run over) and set inside oven for about 1 hour. You will see liquid starting to collect at the bottom of the dish, and you will know it is getting close to being done once this liquid begins to have a hue of oil coloring to it. Also, you want the entire dish to be bubbling through (the eggplant needs this in order to fully cook, and the bulk of the cooking time is for the eggplant. Zucchini may take less time). You want to be able to poke a sharp knife through the eggplant without too much resistence.

Serving it :

Cut into 6 equal portions. I allowed it to completely cool before serving it (allowing the casserole to "congeal"), and then I reheated the individual pieces in the microwave. The lasanga alone makes up one serving of Lean and about half a cooked veggie serving of green, per slice (1/6th the dish). So, I served the lasanga with about a cup and a quarter/half of side salad (1 cup salad greens, 1/4 cup salad veggies on top).

[Mike]

1 cube Firm Tofu (though, next time I will use soft and add mozz)
2 C Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1 large egg
3 Tblsp Parmesan cheese

How many oz. is one cube of tofu? If its two servings (7 oz each) than this may not be enough protein for 6 servings, but it comes close. If its a little more than 2 servings to a cube, then its plenty.

Sounds yummy, although I don't care for eggplant, but for Di I might make half with eggplant, and half with my zucchini.

[Karli]

Hi Mike, thanks for stopping by. Actually, what I did was add all of the totals between the cheeses, the egg, and the tofu together, and then I divided by 6 (since that is the serving size). I posted the nutritional value of that in the "Filling" section. It comes out about right, but I ended up feeling pretty "lean" after eating it and added a little chicken to my meal.