Mesiah Event Planners, Inc.

Recipes

Personal Recipes compliments of Mesiah Event Planners, Inc. 973.744.1788

(Recipes featured on my TV shows - 'Inside Montclair'-Ch. 34 TV)

Nicky’s Quick Cilantro Hummus w/homemade pita chips:

1- 15.5 oz. can of chick peas or, garbanzo beans (drained)

2- Cloves of garlic

1- Small onion

¼ - Cup of grated carrots

¼ cup – Tahini –ground sesame paste

2 teaspoons- Fresh lemon juice

¼ cup - Fresh Cilantro

½ cup - Fresh Parsley

1 tsp. of Oregano

1/8 teaspoon of Cumin

1/8 teaspoon of Nutmeg

1-2 tablespoons of plain yogurt

½ teaspoon of coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon of water, or more, to thin if too thick

½ teaspoon of sesame oil or, olive oil (optional)

Put all ingredients in processor on high speed until smooth. Chill before serving. Serve with homemade pitas – see my ‘pita pizza/bruschetta recipe. Or, serve with pita chips, plain chips, veggies. Can be used as low calorie sandwich spread too! Healthier choice than mayo & no hydrogenated fats!

NICKY’S LOW CALORIE PITA CHIPS/PIZZAS/BRUSCHETTA:

Preheat oven to 350

-6” diameter Whole Wheat Pocket Pita Bread
(I used Toufayan Mid-eastern pocket whole wheat pitas)
-1 Tablespoon of olive oil or, basil olive oil
-Few shakes of garlic powder, not garlic salt
-Few shakes of oregano
-Few shakes of ground fennel
-Few shakes of ground rosemary
-Few shakes of freshly grated parmesan cheese
-Some sliced pre-cooked chicken or, turkey sausage –
(ie. Chef Aidell’s, Emeril’s, Amy’s---most of these are precooked)
-Goat Cheese, crumbled on top
-Sundried tomato or any tomatoes
-Little spinach or fresh basil-optional
-Top with a few more shakes of oregano

To Assemble:
-Split your pita pocket in half & spread the ingredients on each half in order listed
-Bake for 11 minutes & voila----that’s it!

(If you layer up to the rosemary, then they make great dippers for hummus too. View Nicky’s hummus recipe….

This healthy snack is always a hit! It’s made with whole wheat, not white pitas because whole wheat is healthier and no added preservatives. Many pitas have high fructose corn syrup, but not this whole wheat pita. Did you know that the whole wheat pita is lower in carbs than 2 plain lasagna noodles?

My Dad’s Famous High Fiber Turkey Meatloaf –Always a Buffalo favorite!
(notice, no added salt & high fiber all bran instead of bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Two and a half (2 ½ ) to three (3) pounds of ground turkey
Two (2) links of hot Italian turkey or poultry sausage-(par cook the sausage)
Variety of spices such as oregano, poultry season garlic salt, hot crushed pepper, parsley flakes
Fresh celery, green pepper, and onion chopped up
Sixteen (16) ounces of V-8 vegetable juice (Regular or Spicy).
Two (2) cups of Kellogg’s All Bran. The more the bran & V-8 the looser the loaf; and vice versa
Bar-b-que sauce, Catsup, some grated Parmesan cheese

(First, par cook the sausage because being deep in the meat loaf, they might not cook all the way through, and then set them aside near the bowl that will be used to mix all of the ingredients)

-Place the ground turkey in the bowl.

-Add the All Bran and spices.

-Place the chopped up celery, green pepper and onion in the bowl. Make sure they are chopped small or else they will be crispy in the cooked meatloaf.

-Add the V-8 vegetable juice.

Thoroughly mix the ingredients in the bowl. I wear surgical type gloves for this. Depending upon your taste, you may want to add or subtract your spices. They would be similar to what you use in a regular meat loaf.

-Insert the sausages end to end and place them in the center of the loaf so that when you cut the finished product there will be a piece of the sausage in each slice of the loaf.

-Slide the loaf into the Pam sprayed pan and place it in the oven for about (1) hour to one hour fifteen (15) minutes. This depends upon the thickness of the loaf. The thicker the loaf, the longer it cooks.
Mix together the bar-b-que sauce, catsup and Parmesan cheese, and after about half (1/2) way through the cooking spread that mixture over the loaf and continue cooking it until it is done.

Nicky’s Favorite Healthy Waldorf Salad:

-Gala Apples (red delicious are good too, choose your favorite apples*)
- FAGE 0% Fat Yogurt Used
-Coarsely chopped walnuts & almonds (toasted is even better, nuttier flavor)
-Golden Raisins & some dried cranberries (for added sweetness)
-Cinnamon (to taste)
-Nutmeg (to taste)
-Mace (to taste-did you know that mace is the outer shell of the nutmeg?)

Mix together & chill or, it’s ready to eat. This is a great salad or breakfast & for you granola lovers, it’s a wonderful ‘crunchy’ snack & takes the edge off during the day or night. Oh, buy yourself an apple corer—it’s much easier.

For added fiber: Add shredded cabbage…

The sweetness of the apples/nuts/raisins/seasonings-all mask the cabbage yet still provides the fiber & anti-oxidant properties. If you don’t want the cabbage, just leave it out & enjoy this wonderful salad & snack on its own. I eat it almost daily. For less sweetness, omit the raisins. For more crunch, chop more nuts. For you peach cobbler fans, you can blend with a low fat/low sugar peach yogurt for added flavor. Buy a nut chopper too-gadgets make it faster.

*Apples are high in pectin & a great source of fiber. Since yogurts are generally high in sugars & high fructose corn syrup, ’I only use Fage Greek Style Yogurt. Most yogurts although low in fat are ‘super high’ in carbs, so beware. Most unflavored yogurts have as much as 8-10 teaspoons per 6 oz.-Yikes!

PICKY NICKY’S SUGAR-FREE BEAN SALAD

2-Cans of cannelloni beans, or chick peas or another mild white bean

-1/2 cup finely chopped red, yellow or green bell pepper

PROCESS THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS:
-1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel or, some fresh fennel

-1 small onion

-1/3 cup of red vinegar

-1 tablespoon of Nakano Red Pepper Vinegar

-3 tablespoons of fresh parsley

-3 tablespoons of fresh basil

-1 tablespoon of basil olive oil, or regular olive oil

-2 cloves of garlic

-1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

-1/4 teaspoon of bourbon pepper (from Spice it Up Shop-Montclair)

Drain beans and combine with chopped pepper. Process the remaining ingredients and pour over the beans. Mix and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs. to overnight for spices to peak. Serve on a bed of lettuce or, eat by itself, mix in cooked chicken sausage, pepperoni, soy protein, etc. You can even serve on the French bread like a crostini.

PICKY NICKY’S QUICK BROWN RICE MEAL

-Uncle Ben’s 30 minute brown rice in bag
-Chicken broth
-Leftover veggies from broth-cut up
-Chick Peas, cannelloni beans, black beans-Drained
-about 1/2 tsp. of salt to taste (remember, you already added salt to the broth)

Be Creative & add whatever spices you like! This is what I often use:
-Fresh dill (optional) Rosemary-(optional)
-Optional: cut up chicken if you want added protein

Measure out the desired amount of rice. Instead of using water as indicated, use your homemade chicken broth. Put both in pot & bring to boil according to directions & add the leftover veggies, drained beans, salt & chicken.

PICKY NICKY’S FAVORITE ENERGIZING SAUTEED SPINACH

As a kid, we ate a lot of spinach and it was never my favorite food. But with all of the antioxidant properties + excellent source of /fiber & calcium & iron---The health benefits of spinach outweigh any childhood memories and I decided to now make spinach one of my favorite foods. I love all vitamin packed antioxidant veggies and it takes less than 10 min. to create. – It’s a pretty medley too!

About 1 tablespoon of Basil Olive Oil

8 Cloves of Garlic grated or sliced

1 Bag of Spinach – I always keep on hand

1 Green Squash (sliced)

1 Yellow Zucchini (sliced)

Some shredded carrots-for color

Some fresh basil – if available (cut up)

Worcestershire Powder – ½ teaspoon or, to taste (from the Spice it Up Shop – Montclair, NJ)

Optional - (Nicky’s Sugar Free Bean Salad – see website for recipe)

In a large frying pan, add heat oil then add garlic. Fill pan to the top with spinach+green squash+zucchini+carrots+basil. This will cook down in less than 5 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire powder at the end. If you wish, then, add the marinated chick peas from my sugar free bean salad for added punch. Serve hot or at room temp. This dish is not only healthy, full of protein+antioxidants+vitamin B & C, but it’s delicious and pretty.

Picky Nicky’s Favorite Turkey Chili w/Black & White Beans
Spices – Courtesy of the Spice it Up Shop in Montclair, NJ

-6 oz. hot turkey sausage or, spicy chicken andouille sausage
-2 cups chopped onion
-1 cup chopped green or, red bell pepper
-8 cloves of (minced) garlic
-1/2 cup grated carrot
-1 pound ground turkey
-1 jalapeño pepper---optional (try some crushed red pepper if you like spicier)

-2 tablespoons of chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon pig powder
-1 tablespoon ground cumin
-2 tablespoons of brown sugar-optional –cuts the acidity of tomato paste
-1 (6 oz. can) tomato paste
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground brandied pepper
-1/4 teaspoon exotica salt
-1.5 teaspoons of ground bay leaves
-1 ¼ cups Pinot Noir (use leftover fruity wine)
-2 (28 oz.) cans of whole tomatoes with juice
-2 (15 oz.) cans black beans & white cannelloni beans/small great northern beans – drained

-Remove turkey sausage from casings-(chicken sausage if precooked, just slice).
Saute the sausage, onion, green pepper, grated carrot, ground turkey and sauté for about 10 minutes.

-Then add in all of the other ingredients, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hr. stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.