80(ish)--- Pistachio Meringues

There is not a single thing wrong with pistachios. They are delicious. Our friend Jeff really likes pistachios too. He refers to them as heroin. Once you start you cannot stop. He has no basis for comparison, but I get the jist.

Pistachios are a very tasty nut filled with phytosterols, mono and polyunsaturated fats, and potassium. They also have the most antioxidant power of any snack-worthy nut with 7983 Trolox Equivalents per 100 grams.

These are a terrific substitute for my pistachio ice cream addiction.

Pistachio Meringues
Makes ~80

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup salted pistachios, shelled and finely chopped (I used my coffee grinder on the coarse setting)

Carefully separate egg whites from yolk. Tip: break each egg over a small bowl and separate white into bowl, making sure that no yolk follows the white. THEN transfer that white into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Repeat for 2 remaining eggs. This way, if you do have some yolk "seepage" it will not contaminate your other whites!

Add cream of tarter to egg white and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and beat for additional 30 seconds. Gently fold in chopped pistachios.

Using a spatula, place meringue into a large ziploc bag. Seal bag with a small amount of air remaining inside. Carefully cut off one corner of the bag to create a 1/2 inch hole.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place a small drop of meringue under each corner of paper to help secure it to the pan. Gently squeeze meringue from bag to form drops 1 1/2" in diameter. Continue process to fill baking sheet, placing drops 1/2" apart.

Place oven racks in middle 1/3 of oven. Place one baking sheet on each rack and bake for ~1 hour or until meringues are crispy and cooked through (they will crisp up a bit once set at room temperature). Remove meringues from baking sheet and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container (up to 5 days).

Nutrition Info per 1 meringue: 17 calories (yes, really), 0.7 g fat, 0.5 g protein, 2.3 g carbohydrates,