Did you know that today is Pistachio Day?! I have always loved pistachios. I remember my papa Jimmy always chewing on them on his farm when I was a little kid. My dad often snacks on pistachios when he is watching a game. The little piles of pistachio shells always remind me of those moments. I received some shelled pistachios to try cooking with. It was such a hot and beautiful day when I received the package in the mail that I decided make something light and refreshing.

I also learned a little background history about pistachios from my friends at Farm Water:

There are 850 producers in the United States and the annual “farm gate value”* of pistachios represents more than $1.16 billion to the California economy
California comprises 98.5% of the total with over 250,000 acres planted throughout 22 counties.
Pistachio trees take seven to 10 years to mature
It was recognized in 1930 that California’s Central Valley – due to its fertile soil, hot, dry climate and moderately cold winters – offered the ideal growing conditions for the nut. Learn More.

In celebration of Pistachio Day I thought I would make a healthy salad topped with pistachios. My favorite part about cooking in the kitchen is chopping. I love to chop veggies, fruit and now nuts. I was originally going to make lettuce wraps but my lettuce was not very large so I chopped everything up and made a salad with humus as the dressing. So good!