Persian Saffron Pistachio

I really like pistachios. I stopped eating the ones we bought at the grocery store, but they tended to be on the smaller side, were very hard, and you needed a sledgehammer to open some of them. I also have teeth that tend to break, have had a lot of fillings and crowns, and also had TMJ surgery that limits the kinds of things I can eat comfortably. Whenever we go to visit our family in central Virginia, we always bring treats that include cookies and baklavas and Persian pistachios that we buy at Yas Bakery in Vienna. I tried a few of the saffron pistachios there and they not only tasted really good, but were also “softer” and easy to peel. Because I was in the mood for trying pistachios again, we got another small Wonderful bag brand at the grocery store but the end result was the same. So today after our morning walk we decided to stop in at Yas and pick up a few things - cucumbers, my husband’s favorite Persian cookies, and more of the saffron pistachios. It’s hard to believe how expensive these things are! I still haven’t tried one to see if they meet our expectations but I am looking forward to cracking a few open later this evening. I hope they are as good as I think they will be but worry that they may become habit forming. We have a tendency to get hooked on something for a while until we decide it’s enough. But since pistachios are supposedly good for you let’s hope they are as tasty - and easy to eat - as we remember. 

Wonderful Pistachios - Unsalted

When you have high blood pressure and borderline cholesterol readings, you do try to manage a reasonably healthy diet. And I try to! But sometimes finding the exact item is tricky. Both my husband and I like pistachios. They come in all types, but mostly salted, spiced, and lightly salted. It’s really hard to find unsalted - although I much prefer the salty taste! And we prefer the shelled type rather than just the nut. Every time we go to the grocery store we look for them to no avail. Even the lightly salted ones are hard to come by. So, as everyone else does, I checked on Amazon to see what I could find and there they were. So I ordered up four of the one pound bags. I really don’t think it’s necessarily heart healthy, but it sounds good. It seems weird to get a package in the mail for this sort of thing and it came all the way from California. Hopefully the supply will last awhile. But at least now I know I can get my hands on it. 

Unsalted Pistachios

Both my husband and I like postachios. I think everyone likes postachios. And now there are all kinds of flavored varieties to pick from. We usually had the usual roasted and salted type in our house - and they always had to be the kind you have to peel. I suppose you could say that makes them all the more tasty because you need to work at it first. Then my husband found some even more tasty versions - salt and pepper and sweet chili - among others. We could sit there and polish off a whole bag if one of us didn't have a bit of self control! But after getting blood work back about a month ago, we decided we needed to tweek MY treats somewhat. Mind you, it's always me that has to do the tweeking. So rather than do without them completely, we get the roasted UNSALTED postachios for me, while my husband continues to eat whatever he wants. And my weekly popcorn has been totally discontinued. Sometimes I wonder if any of this matters anyway? Since it is difficult for me to tolerate a lot of the statin medications, I need to cut back in other ways. I know it could be a lot worse. But have you ever tried a flavored and salted pistachio? 

Pistachios - So Many Choices!

I'm not sure I believe it when something is labelled "heart healthy," but it sounds good if I really like how it tastes. And so goes the pistachio. Up to this point dry roasted peanuts were my favorites. But my husband started bringing home not just the plain pistachios, but the pepper flavored, as well as salted. It seems like there is more shell than nut, but it's well worth the hassle to break them open. My only concern is irritating my TMJs. After all, it was a kernel of popcorn that threw my jaw out of whack over thirty years ago. That damage required bilateral joint surgery which continues to haunt me here and there. Luckily the pistachio is a bit soft, so it's "safer" to chew, but very carefully. Now I need to get my hands on some of the even more tastier flavors. Jalapeño anyone!?