New Food Trend – the Pistachio!

There have been numerous studies highlighted in the press lately touting the health benefits of the pistachio. Following this trend has been a batch of new TV commercials featuring celebs and cute animals enjoying pistachios as a healthy snack. We have known for while that nuts should be part of a healthy diet. They are a healthy source of fat, and because of their fiber and protein content they make a very satisfying snack that will stick with you. So how does the pistachio differ from the rest of the nut crowd?

-Per serving, Pistachios are one of the lowest calorie and lowest fat nuts

-Having to shell the pistachio slows down your snacking and the left over shells provides a visual cue to how much you have eaten. These things help you eat less

-One serving of pistachios provides 12% of your daily fiber needs

- They are one of the highest in antioxidants among all snack nuts

So now that you are convinced to trade in your old almond habit and give pistachios a try once in a while, let’s talk serving size –

The recommended serving of pistachios is 1 ounce or 30 grams, which is equal to about 49 kernels. One serving contains 170 calories.

If you are tired of using them only as a snack, tried adding them to your baking or other recipes! Here is a cake recipe I made for family dinner last night. It comes from Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life. It’s a traditional cake but the addition of the pistachios and apricots give it a little redeeming nutritional value :)

Ingredients:

¾ cup shelled raw pistachios

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

½ cup milk

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 lrg eggs

5 ripe apricots halved and pitted (I used frozen since they are no longer in season)

1 tbsp honey

Directions:

-preheat over to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle position

-butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment, dust with flour

-pulse the pistachios in a food processor until the are finely ground

-mix together the pistachios, flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt

- combine the milk and vanilla