Roasted Turkey w/ Citrus and Herbs

Dear Readers,

There are many ways to become budget conscious when cooking weekly meals. I tend to cook large meals that are good for a few days. One of my favorite meals is roasted turkey which is super healthy and will last a few nights. I rely on citrus and fresh herbs to provide great flavor. A little olive oil will help to brown the top but I do not add butter or any saturated fats to the meat. Follow my cooking preparation method and your turkey will come out tender and juicy.

Ingredients:

6-7lb fresh whole turkey breast (example Shady Brook Farms)
1 cup onion (diced) plus 3 onion slices
4 orange slices
1/4 cup juice from fresh orange
4 lemon slices
8 fresh sage leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp herbs di provence
salt
ground pepper
1 tsp Earth Balance (dairy free butter spread)
2 tsp flour

Directions:

1-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2-Clean the turkey breast and pat dry. Lay on a cutting board.
3-Place 3 onion slices, 2 orange slices, 2 lemon slices, 1 sprig of rosemary, 3 sprigs of thyme, and 3 sage leaves on the bottom of a roasting pan.




4-Open the center of the turkey and sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper. Add 1 cup onion (diced), 2 orange slices, 2 lemon slices, 2 thyme sprigs, 5 sage leaves, 1 sprig of rosemary. Pour inside the juice from the orange. If you push the fruit and herbs inside they should stay in place. If not you can secure the opening with some cooking string and sew up the closure.



5-Turn the turkey on its belly so the bird is breast side up. Add the olive oil on top of the bird and run it around. You can also rub the olive oil under the skin. Sprinkle salt, pepper and herbs di provence on the top and under the skin.

6-Place the turkey breast on top of the onions, fruit, and herbs on the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour.

7-Take the tin foil off the turkey breast and cook for another hour.

8-The temperature must reach 180 °F in the thigh of a whole turkey (center of the stuffing should reach 165 °F) before removing it from the oven. Cook a turkey breast to 170 °F. Juices should be clear. In the absence of a meat thermometer, pierce an unstuffed turkey with a fork in several places; juices should be clear with no trace of pink.

9- Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before you serve the meat.



Preparing the light gravy:
1-Pour the dripping from the pan into a strainer. You will have the juice separated from the herbs and onion.
2-Pour the strained drippings into a fat separator. Set aside.



3-In a sauce pan add 1 tsp of dairy free butter spread(Earth Balance) and 2 tsp of flour. Whisk well over medium heat until the flour is cooked and turned a deep yellow color. Slowly add the juice from the fat separator. Whisk really well and add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Let it come to a simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes. Serve.