Pistachio Cream - Lower Sugar

My relatives in Sicily are very proud of me for using pistachios. Sicily, particularly the area around Bronte near Mount Etna, is renowned for its unique and high-quality pistachios. Unfortunately, I could not find shelled pistachios and had the task of shelling them before I could start. I highly recommend that you invest the time and find them shelled already to save time. I asked for guidance from them, up above, in helping me shell the pistachios. I thought I heard them say, "succhiala" which means suck it up in Sicilian. We are known for being strong and resourceful group of people. With that in mind, I continue to shuck the pistachios.

All the rave is Dubai Chocolate Bars on the internet. When I looked into the pistachio cream, I was shocked at the calories and the amount of sugar in it. That got me thinking, I bet I could make something that is similar and still tastes delicious.

Pistachios in a raw state have a brown skin on them. This needs to be removed.

Once I got all the pistachios out of the shells, it was time to boil them. They boil for 2-3 minutes, just to soften the nut and remove the skins. You'll still have to rub each nut between your fingers to get the outside skin (for a lack of a better word) off. This takes time but is worth it in the end. I don't toast my pistachio before blending, but if in your world they need to be toasted, go for it.

You'll need:

2 cups of pistachios

1/4 cup of powdered sugar

pinch of salt

2 tbsp of coconut oil

1/4 cup of non-dairy coffee creamer

1/4 cup of coconut milk

Food processor or blender

The pistachios will be a beautiful bright green and should be a little soft to the touch.

They have a strong, beautiful aroma and blend nicely. Don't be surprised to see that the water they boiled in is cloudy and dirty. All the impurities are removed from the pistachio.

You now have the nut in it's purest form.

This is where I took liberties from the original recipe, I cut back on the sugar. In a food processor (can be a blender if you have a powerful blender), start to process the nuts. After five minutes you will have what looks like wet green sand. That's what you're looking for. Add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar (I used Truvia sugar substitute powdered sugar to save calories),

a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup of International Delight Coffee Creamer (that keeps it dairy free). and the coconut oil. If you don't like coconut oil, use a neutral oil. Mix until it becomes smooth. This will take about 15-20 minutes. The secret to a smooth cream is patience! You have to watch and add more coconut milk if needed.

Now we have this smooth pistachio cream, what do we do with it? The only limits is your imagination! I made a Dubai-like Chocolate pistachio rice cake.

A plain rice cake provided the crunch that represents that crunchy kataifi (shredded phyllo pastry), 1 tbsp pistachio cream, 1 strawberry, a drizzle of Hershey's SF Chocolate Syrup and topped with FF Reddi Whip. This satisfied my sweet tooth and was low sugar/low calorie.

Make these just before serving, or the rice cake will get soggy.

In the morning, I wanted to make a Pistachio Protein Shake. It turned out wonderful and provided 35 grams of protein for 300 calories.

1 tbsp pistachio cream

1 vanilla protein shake

FF Reddi Whip

Sprinkles

I'm going to try to make a pistachio cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips for my hubby. He states he doesn't like pistachios, but I bet I can win him over.

What would you make with the pistachio cream?

Enjoy!