One of my biggest challenges during the day is healthy snacking. Today I’ve got three terrific pistachio pairings to share with you. Easy, healthy combinations of foods that make a satisfying snack that is also good for you! But first I want to tell you why I adore pistachios…
Pistachios offer more nuts per serving compared to most other snack nuts, and among the highest in protein. For every one-ounce serving, pistachios offer about 49 nuts per serving; peanuts offer just 28, cashews offer just 18, and walnuts, 14 halves and 23 almonds in the same 30g serving. If you eat a primarily plant-based diet like me, folks always ask, “Where do you get your protein?” Now you can tell them, “Pistachios!” Plus you’ll be enjoying a plentiful amount of nuts in just one serving.
I’m also a fan of the fiber in pistachios! I rely on fiber to help me feel full longer. A 30 gram (about 1 ounce) serving of pistachios has 3 grams of fiber, more than some other nuts and many pieces of whole fruit. For example, a 30g serving of cashews has one gram of fiber and walnuts, two grams; one peach has two grams of fiber. Pistachios are a great way to add more fiber while enjoying a healthy snack!
Are you ready to see my favorite ways to eat pistachios? I’m excited to share these with you. And also relieved I don’t have to pick a favorite!
For a mid-morning snack, I enjoy a Pistachio Yogurt Parfait. I simply layer my favorite non-dairy yogurt, a spoonful of raw local honey and pistachios and then repeat. There is something very indulgent about making a snack in a pretty glass and sitting down for a few moments of quiet while enjoying it.
In the afternoon when I crave a salty snack, I often make a Pistachio Snack Tray. A combination I enjoy is in-shell pistachios, dried apricots and a small glass of kombucha. Protein and fiber from the pistachios, a hint of sweet from the apricots that are a great way to add iron to my diet, and a small glass of kombucha for a fizzy addition loaded with probiotics to add with digestion. A snack that not only tastes great but is also good for me!
If I need a nibble in the evening, I pair Pistachios with Aged Cheese and Dates. I’ve used my favorite non-dairy cheese in this pairing with a handful of salted in-shell pistachios and medjool dates. There a perfect balance of sweet, salty and smoky in this pairing.
When I share this pairing with friends (this is one of my favorite before dinner nibbles when we have friends over for dinner), I stuff the dates with cheese and serve with pistachios. It’s simple and easy to prepare, yet looks pretty fancy. A friend recently commented that she found this pairing to be “quite indulgent,” yet it is truly a healthy nibble. I love that!
Now that I’ve got you excited about creating healthy snacks with pistachios, I have to tell you about an awesome sweepstakes. The Pistachio Health Institute is hosting a sweepstakes on their Facebook page. Enter and you could win a year’s supply of pistachios! The sweepstakes runs January 7th-31st, 2015. Click here to enter!
What’s your favorite way to eat pistachios? I love hearing from you. Leave a comment below, let’s chat about pistachios!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I keep a huge jar of gourmet pistachios at home and I love just snacking on them. I will normally put them in my salads to add flavor, but I have never had them for breakfast in a yogurt parfait. However, I do notice that both the yogurt and cheese that you used are non-dairy. I think that I should definitely make these dishes the next time I have my vegan friends over as I normally have a hard time knowing what to feed them. What other vegain-appropriate dishes or snacks could I make involving pistachios? I am hoping to find a dessert I could make with them as well.
There are two dessert salads on my site that would work well for your dairy-free or vegan guests: Hawaiian Salad and Cranberry Fluff. Just add pistachios and you would be all set. Oh, both of those sound so good now!
Thank you! Cranberry Fluff sounds absolutely delightful! I think that something like that would be perfect for my vegan friends and for me as well.