For the past 6 1/2 years I haven’t been able to cook with nuts or have them in my house. When my oldest daughter turned 1, she had a reaction to peanuts. The thought of nuts in the house was extremely stressful. Recently, we found out that she is one of the 20% to outgrow her food allergy. It’s been challenging getting her to try different foods with nuts, after so long of telling her they would hurt her, but I can now cook with and eat nuts at home in ease. With the most recent discovery, I was excited to join Momtrends and Wonderful Pistachios for a night of cooking and mingling at My Cooking Party. It was fun night catching up with friends while working together to put together a delicious meal from appetizers to dessert, all having pistachios as an ingredient.
My top favorite recipes from the night were:
Wonderful Pistachios, Peach and Barley Salad
A fresh summer salad with the crunch of Wonderful Pistachios and delicious peaches.
Prep: 15 minutes / Time to Table: 1 hour a 5 minutes / Serves: 4
- ⅔ cup pearled barley
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cups trimmed green beans
- ¼ cup pistachio oil, or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups baby arugula
- 2 ripe peaches, sliced ¼-inch thick
- ⅓ cup crumbled ricotta salata
- ⅓ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios Roasted & Salted, roughly chopped
1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in barley, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook about 45 minutes, until barley is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat, and set aside 10 minutes. Add parsley, fluff barley with a fork and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in another saucepan; boil string beans about 5 minutes, until crisp and tender. Blanch in ice water and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk pistachio oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; toss with arugula, string beans, and half the sliced peaches.
4. Place greens mixture on individual plates. Top with a scoop of barley, remaining peaches, ricotta salata and pistachios. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired
Turkey Roulade with Wonderful Pistachio Pesto
Image from Mom trends
Pistachios, apples and onions are stuffed in this impressive, but easy main course. A nutty Wonderful Pistachio pesto is the perfect accompaniment.
Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes / Time to Table: 2 hours 30 minutes / Serves: 6 to 8
Wonderful Pistachio Pesto:
- 1½ cups baby spinach (about 2½ ounces)
- 1 cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios
- 2 large cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup olive oil
Turkey Roulade:
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)
- 1 granny smith apple, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 2/3 cups)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 5 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 3 ounces day- old french bread, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces (about 1¾ cups)
- ¾ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios, toasted, and roughly chopped
- 1 skinless, boneless, turkey breast half, butterflied (about 2½ lbs)
- 3 small red onions, cut into wedges
1. To make the pesto, place spinach, pistachios, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Slowly pour in oil, while machine is running, about 20 seconds. Pulse to completely combine. Set aside in the refrigerator, up to one day ahead.
2. To make turkey roulade, position oven rack in the center and heat oven to 375°F. Place cranberries in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Add apple; continue to cook, 5 to 7 minutes, until onion and apples are golden. Add ½ cup chicken broth, thyme, rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoons pepper, and simmer. Stirring occasionally and scraping up any bits that stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes, until broth is absorbed and apples are softened. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add bread and cranberries to apples and stir to combine. Pour in ⅓ cup chicken broth and stir to combine. Add additional 2 tablespoons chicken broth, as needed, until bread is moist, but not wet. Stir in pistachios and set aside to cool.
5. Place turkey between sheets of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin, to about ½-inch thick. Season each side with remaining ¼ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoons pepper. Place turkey, skinned side down on working surface. Spread stuffing over turkey leaving a border uncovered, about 1½-inches all around. Roll up and secure tightly with kitchen twine.
6. Heat a roasting pan (or large skillet), with 2 tablespoons olive oil, on medium to medium-high heat. Brown turkey roulade on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside on a plate. Add wire rack to roasting pan and place turkey on rack. Combine onion wedges in a bowl with 1 tablespoons oil and place in roasting pan alongside turkey. Add ½ cup chicken broth to roasting pan and place in oven.
7. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until turkey temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from oven, transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes, until juices have had time to absorb, before cutting into 6 to 8 slices.
8. Meanwhile, add remaining chicken broth (about ½ cup) to roasting pan, and scrape up any bits with a wooden spoon. Serve pan drippings alongside turkey with pistachio pesto.
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Wonderful Pistachios, Goat Cheese and Pomegranate Glaze
Sweet roasted potato wedges get the holiday treatment with crunchy Wonderful Pistachios, tangy goat cheese and a lovely pomegranate glaze.
Prep: 20 minutes / Time to Table: 45 minutes / Serves: 8 (about 4-5 wedges/person)
- 4 large sweet potatoes, well-scrubbed and cut into 1” thick wedges
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- ½ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios, chopped
- 2 tablespoons POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
1. Preheat oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.
2. Toss potato wedges with olive oil, salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Transfer the wedges to the baking sheets making sure they spaced evenly.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir wedges and rotate pans. Bake another 10 minutes until cooked through and caramelized. Remove from the oven.
4. Combine the honey and the POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave and stir. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a platter and scatter the Wonderful Pistachios and goat cheese over them. Drizzle the pomegranate glaze over all. Serve.
In addition to amazing food, the space was absolutely stunning. Momtrends did a wonderful job creating a gorgeous winter white tablescape using pistachios, beautiful Teleflora centerpieces, lighted tress from target and a gold specked table runner from Minted. They also used Wonderful Pistachios with candles and created a keepsake ornament place setting filled with pistachio shells. The simple yet beautiful accents added a special touch to the delicious meal, perfect for entertaining this Holiday season.
Image from Momtrends
Have a wonderful Holiday and a Happy & Healthy New Year! Happy Cooking!
Disclaimer: I received a gift bag from this event as well as compensation for this post however this did not alter my opinions. It was a wonderful night and the food was delicious. Thank you to Momtrends, Wonderful Pistacios and My Cooking Party. Looking forward to making these recipes again for family this Holiday season!
Tastefully Childish 