Pistachios are one of the worlds oldest known nuts. They date back 1000’s of years to Greece and the Middle East and are a low calorie nut rich in protein, vitamin B6, vitamin K, omega 3 fatty acids and phosporus. This glorious green drink is delicious over ice on a hot summer day or warmed as a latte in the cooler months. I bumped up the green colour by adding a big spoon full of matcha!
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of pistachio milk (recipe follows)
- 4 soft medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 tsp. of freshly crushed cardamom seeds
- 2 Tbsp. of maple syrup or honey
- a tsp. of rose water or a drop or two of medicine flower rose extract
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- a heaping tsp. of powdered matcha
The pistachio milk:
Soak 1 cup of raw shelled pistachios in plenty of water for at least 6 hours. Drain and rinse the nuts.
Combine the soaked nuts with 4 cups of water in a high speed blender until smooth. Strain the milk through a nut milk bag and reserve the pulp to make a Strawberry Pistachio Match Shortcake!
Whisk the powdered matcha into the milk. You will only need 2 of the 4 cups of milk for this recipe. Leftover can be stored in a mason jar in the fridge for up to four days.
In a high speed blender combine 2 cups of the pistachio matcha milk with the four dates, cardamom, honey, rose water and vanilla. Blend until smooth. I sometimes purposely leave little chunks of the unblended dates in the drink because they are chewy and delicious!
To serve pour over ice or heat gently to drink warm!
