Pistachios have been consumed by humankind for a long time and can be traced back to 6750 BCE. A member of the cashew family, these flowering plants grow majorly in the middle east and Central Asia. From being the filling in Turkish Baklava to being set into Indian Mithais, these nuts are special, not just because of their fruity yet earthy taste but also because of their significantly high nutritional value.
1 ounce of pistachios contains:
- Calories: 159
- Carbs: 8 grams
- Fibre: 3 grams
- Protein: 6 grams
- Fat: 13 grams (90% are unsaturated fats)
- Potassium: 6% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Phosphorus: 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 28% of the RDI
- Thiamine: 21% of the RDI
- Copper: 41% of the RDI
- Manganese: 15% of the RDI
Great for your health, as well as your hungry soul!
So here are few recipes ideas for you to try out:
1. Pistachio Cake: Incorporate pistachio in your favourite vanilla cake recipe by replacing ¼ of the flour that the recipe requires by finely ground pistachio. The resulting cake will be of a vibrant green tint with a subtle pistachio flavour. Garnish with pistachio crumble.
2. Pistachio Coconut Rum Ball: To a cup of desiccated coconut add half a cup of coarsely ground pistachios and another cup of molten dark chocolate. Sweeten to taste. Add 30mL of Dark Rum and mix well. Roll into bite-sized balls and garnish with ground pistachios.
3. Pistachio Cookies: The simplest way to add more pistachios to your diet is by putting them in cookies. Use any multigrain cookie recipe and sprinkle sliced pistachios on top of the cookies before baking. The best combination would be pistachios in oats and orange cookies. You can straight away incorporate it into the mixture before baking.
4. Pistachio Spaghetti: Yes, you heard that right! Incorporating pistachios in savoury dishes is not a bad idea at all. Its earthy notes complement the savouriness of Alfredo Pasta and Pesto Pasta. For Alfredo, finely ground pistachio can be incorporated into the sauce. As for Pesto Pasta, simply blend pistachios in your pesto sauce along with the pine nuts and basil!
5. Pistachio Smoothie: We have had our snacks, our main course and our dessert. Now to wash it all down we need a drink. In a blender take a scoop of finely ground pistachio powder, a quarter of a peeled green apple, pistachio milk (almond milk works too), mint leaves and sugar to taste. Blend it into a smooth liquid and pour over a glass, half-filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of green apple and pistachio powder.
Let’s Go Nuts!