Browsing Category A HEALTHY MEAL PLAN
Anita’s Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, boiled
3 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/3 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoon fresh squeeze lemon juice
heavy cream drops (to drizzle after)
pumpkin seeds (for garnish)
Preparation
- Use a large pot and fill it with 3 cups of water. Add chicken bouillon. When it starts to boil add cubed butternut squash. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until is tender.
- Place tender cooked butternut squash with their broth water into a blender and pure until smooth.
3. Return to the pot. 
4. Seasoned with curry powder, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and fresh lemon juice. Heat through and serve warm. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and some drizzles of heavy cream if you like. Enjoy!
Anita’s Roasted Baby Eggplant with Meat Sauce
Ingredients for Meat Sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, small diced
16 ounces can diced petite tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation for Meat Sauce
- Preheat oven to 400 grades Fahrenheit.
- Add ground meat to a heated large pan with olive oil and butter.
- Brown meat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chopped onions and crushed garlic.
- Sauté over medium heat until onions are soft. Add diced tomatoes.
- Seasoned with thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Once it start simmering lower the heat. Let the sauce simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes. Roast eggplants meanwhile.
Ingredients for Roasted Eggplant
12 baby eggplant, unpeeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano, ground
Preparation
- Place cut eggplants into a baking sheet. Seasoned with salt, pepper and ground oregano.
- Drizzle over with olive oil.
- Roast eggplants in the pre-heated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until tender.
- Remove roasted eggplant from the oven. Top eggplants in the center with meat sauce. Serve warm next to rice. Enjoy!
Anita’s Light and Easy Apple-Raisin Coleslaw Salad
Ingredients
1 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 green apples (Granny Smith), sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Using a large bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and sugar. Whisk well.
- Add coleslaw and toss to combine. Seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Incorporate carrots, apples and raisins. Toss to combine and place covered in refrigerator for at least one hour. Enjoy!
Anita’s Crispy-Easy Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
6 (6 ounces) salmon fillets
3 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
Preparation
- Heat the grill on medium-high.
- Use a large zip-log bag and place salmon fillets in. Add to the bag Dijon mustard, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place into the refrigerator and marinade for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from fridge and let it come back at room temperature.
- Place salmon fillets on the grill. Cover the lid and grill until crispy for about 5 to 7 minutes. Flip to the other side and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes until inside is flaky and cooked.
- Serve warm over a mixed green salad. Enjoy!
Anita’s Delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
4 bell peppers, yellow/red used
1 cup of basmati rice, uncooked
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cups of meat sauce(see my recipe “Rigatoni Pasta with meat sauce”)
1- 6 ounces-can tomato diced sauce
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375 grades Fahrenheit.
- Cut the tops of the bell peppers but not discard them. Clean the inside by removing the seeds and membranes. Butter your baking dish and scoop tomato sauce on bottom of the pan. Use your olive oil to apply in the outside of bell peppers. Bake the bell peppers without stuffing for 30 to 35 minutes or until slightly tender, but still holding up.
3. Add one cup of raw rice into premade meat sauce, and mix. Add 1 1/2 cup of water to the mixture and cook at medium-high heat. When it starts to simmer, lower the heat. Cover the pan and cook rice mixture until water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
4. Fill the bell peppers with the rice mixture. Any extra rice scoop over your tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
5. Top bell peppers with stems. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Anita’s Easy Baked Tortilla Chips
Ingredients
6 large flour or corn tortilla
2 Tablespoon of canola oil
4 Tablespoon of white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon paprika
1/3 teaspoon chili powder
Preparation
- Preheat oven at 350 grades Fahrenheit.
- Pile 3 tortillas up and using a pizza cutter cut into 8 slices. Repeat same for the other 3 tortillas.
- Line a baking sheet pan with foil and arrange tortilla wedges in a single layer. Brush tortillas wedges with the mix of oil and vinegar.
4. Sprinkle tortillas with spices.
5. Bake chips for about 8 to 10 minutes or until chips are golden brown and crispy. 
Serve next to your favorite salsa or guacamole. Enjoy!
Anita’s best Curry Cauliflower with Crystal Noodles
Recipe will be posted soon …
Anita’s Caesar Salmon Roasted with Tomato, Onions, and Capers
Ingredients
3-4 Pounds Atlantic Salmon fillet whole
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1- 5 ounces can diced petite tomatoes
3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, one tbsp. for pan
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and Pepper TT
Caesar Dressing (see my recipe Rustic Caesar Salad)
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 400 grades Fahrenheit
- Place Salmon fillet whole over a baking pan lined with foil paper and drizzle with olive oil.
- Sprinkle pepper over salmon. Bake for about 15 minutes, should be a little rare as it will continue on cooking later with Caesar dressing on top. Remove from oven. Set aside. Lower temperature to 350 grades Fahrenheit.
Sauce Preparation
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and dried basil.
- Stirring for about 5 minutes till onions are slightly tender. Add diced tomatoes. Cook and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Incorporate drain capers into the sauce. Stir well and cook for another 2 minutes. Set sauce aside.
4. Take the Caesar dressing and spoon over the salmon whole. 
5. Place salmon again into the pre-heated 350 grades Fahrenheit oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until salmon is fork flaky.
6. Sprinkle the capers, tomato and onion sauce over top of the flaky salmon fish.
7. Serve over a healthy Edamame couscous salad seasoned with just lemon-olive oil vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Anita’s delicious Vegetarian Pad Thai Noodles
Ingredients
8 ounces Pad Thai noodles
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 cup white bottom or Cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 carrots, grated
1 onion, diced
1 fresh red chili, finely sliced
4 green onions, sliced
2 Tablespoon, salted chopped peanuts
2 Tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
1/4 cup of vegetable stock
2 teaspoon light soya sauce
2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
2 Tablespoon olive oil
Preparation
- Bring a large pot with water to boil. Insert pad Thai noodles and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Drain and rinse. Set aside.
- Heat at medium-high heat a wok or large skillet and add olive oil. Incorporate minced garlic, fresh red chili, and diced onions. Sate until tender.
- Add shredded carrots and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until mushrooms are soft.
- Mix together sauce in a bowl using vegetable stock, brown sugar, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and soya sauce.
- Incorporate sauce over veggies in wok. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Add sliced green onions.
6. Fold in Pad Thai noodles.
7. Lift and turn noodles until well combined into sauce. sprinkle with some more chopped green onions.
8. Serve and top with some chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
Note: Simply follow this same recipe and add shrimp or chicken. 
Anita’s Stuffed Grape Leaves
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup short grain rice
2 tomatoes, small diced
4 potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1-2 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh grated
1 teaspoon All Spice
1 jar (60-70)grape leaves in brine, or fresh leaves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
- Heat a large skillet with olive oil and add ground meat. Seasoned with salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice. Cook until slightly browned. Add tomatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until tomatoes become tender.
- Incorporate rice and combined well. Cook for about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Rinse leaves from brine.
- Assembling and stuffing: Lay a grape leaf on a cutting board and scoop about a teaspoon of the rice-meat filling on the center.
4. Fold in the sides.
5. Roll tightly so stuffing doesn’t go out while cooking.
6. Roll completely.
7. Lay the bottom of a large pan with the sliced potatoes. Neatly arrange the rolled stuffed grape leaves over sliced potatoes. 
8. Start arranging your second row of grape leaves on top.
9. Add tomato paste mixed with 1-2 cups of water and lemon juice.
When it start simmering, lower the heat to low, and place a round heat-proof plate on top of grape leaves so the grape leaves won’t move while simmering to cook. Cover the pan with lid.
10. Cook in low heat for about 45 to 60 minutes or until rice is completely cooked but not mushy. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Transfer grape leaves to a platter. Enjoy!
