Tag Archives: pistachio

Pistachio Avocado Pesto

Posted on March 9, 2011 | 1 comment

I’m one of those people who has a sensitivity to pine nuts. It’s not so bad to have stuff that may have been in contact with them but if I eat them, well…it’s just not a happy time. So, for the longest time pesto was something I eyed with longing and dread. Then one day years ago I made my own, but with different nuts. There was dancing and rejoicing far across the shire. Pesto was once again a tasty thing to be had again. I have done it with walnuts, pecans, and almonds but so far my favourite has to be this newest version with pistachios. Pesto is chock full of nice and healthy ingredients but sadly so full of fats. It’s those fats though that are giving us those healthy benefits so they stay. This is one of those things to be enjoyed in moderation.

  • 30 basil leaves
  • 4 tbl pistachios
  • 4 tbl extra virgin avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbl parmesan cheese
  1. Pulse the pistachios to the desired texture in a blender.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until a paste or sauce forms.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 92 calories, 8.3 grams of fat and .9 grams of fibre. To help metabolize a lot of that fat you can add a clear dissolving fibre supplement to the mix without any loss of taste or texture. This pesto is great tossed with angel hair pasta but my favourite is serving it as a flatbread topped with a nice light goat cheese and prosciutto.

There are some really great high fibre flat breads out there or you can make this using some of the dough from the deep dish pizza crust recipe.

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Posted in Dinner, Ingredient, Lunch, Sidedish

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Rugelakh

Posted on December 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

No, they are not klingon. Oh tasty, tasty little nut filled crescents wrapped in a cream cheese dough. These are traditionally jewish, it wouldn’t be the first delectable food they have given us either. I tend to pronounce these rugalah, no idea how right that is but who cares once you have eaten your fill of these delicious delights. They look really impressive when you serve them but really they only take a few more steps than making those pilsbury crescent thingies. Definitely a win/win. My grandmother used to make a version of these for the holidays filled with hazelnuts or sometimes almonds. The filling is always changeable, it’s the crescent shape and the dough that are mainstays.

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
  • 114 grams light cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup splenda or sugar
  • 2 tbl light butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 tbl dried cranberries
  1. Combine the flours in a bowl. In another bowl beat the ricotta, cream cheese, splenda, and butter at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture, stirring by hand, mix until a dough forms. Divide the dough in half and shape into a flat disk. Don’t play deadly disc with it…it’s too tasty. Wrap each with plastic wrap and freeze for about 20-30 minutes. It should be firm.
  2. Combine the brown sugar, pistachios, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  3. Roll out your first disk into an 11 inch round. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the dough. Top with half of the cranberries. Press the topping into the dough using the palm of your hand. Using a knife cut the dough into wedges like you would a cake or pie, diagonally. You want 16 wedges.
  4. Starting at the outer edge of each wedge, carefully roll the dough to form a crescent. How curved you want your crescent is completely up to you. My grandmother liked to pinch the ends to keep the filling inside. Open or closed both are tasty. Place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second disc.
  5. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. They should be lightly golden. Good served warm or cooled completely.

Makes 32 Rugelakh. Each rugelakh contains 69 calories, 2.3 grams of fat, and .6 grams of fibre. This was calculated using splenda, add a bit more calories if you plan to use sugar.

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Posted in Dessert, Snack

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