I love Andrew Weil. His advice, positive outlook and sunny disposition are unrivaled.

I learned about Ginger Tea from him: peel and slice some fresh ginger, steep it with some honey in boiling water and you get a homey, tasty, soothing and comforting brew. I make it frequently (now without the honey. It isn’t necessary). 

But he just wrote something on his blog that makes him even more lovable. Basically, what he says is that pistachio nuts are a good snack because they can help people control their weight.

YAY!

I order pistachio nuts by the 5-pound bag. I eat some of these nuts EVERY day. I have ALWAYS loved pistachio nuts, ever since I was a little girl and the only kind available then were the red dyed ones that made my fingers mottled and streaky, as if I had a rash. 

Now I buy the natural, un-dyed ones. Turkish pistachios, which, sorry to say, are infinitely better than the Californias.

One point Weil made, that I always knew, is that because it takes some time to get the nut out of the shell, you actually eat less of them than some other goodies and that makes another reason they’re suitable for healthy snacking.

One point he didn’t make is that pistachio nuts are not only good for snacking, they add delicious flavor and a satisfying crunch to food. Like this bulgur wheat casserole, which can be an entree or side dish.

Bulgur Wheat with Dried Apricots and Pistachios

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6-8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons choppd fresh parsley

pinch of cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the bulgur and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the stock and add the salt, pepper, herb and apricots. Stir, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the pistachios, parsley and cinnamon or lemon peel. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6-8 servings

So on Mother’s Day, when my grownup children come with their families, do I cook what they like or what I like? 

We eat at home. Call me cranky but I can’t handle the Mother’s Day brunch service at a restaurant.

But I digress. So about the food. I like turkey, but my daughter Meredith doesn’t and anyway we have turkey so often you’d think it was always Thanksgiving around here.

Mer and my other daughter Gillian don’t eat beef, but my husband Ed and son-in-law Jesse (and I) like it.

We all eat lamb, except it really isn’t Ed’s favorite and so he eats it obligingly.

Chicken — well, okay. Chicken is the kind of food that almost serves all purposes but you have it enough and so often that you wouldn’t choose it as a must-have for a special get-together.

We all like Mujadarrah, a vegetarian bulgur wheat, lentil and onion casserole, but it doesn’t seem as spring-like as I would like on Mothers Day.

Even dessert can be problematic. I like vanilla and so does my grandson Zev, but the others like chocolate. Which means I would love love love a white vanilla-y cake with White Mountain Frosting and coconut, but my son-in-law Greg would want chocolate cake and fudge frosting.

I like pie but my daughter Gillian doesn’t. However, my grandchildren, Lila (age 5), Nina (age 4) and Zev (age 10) do like pie — so maybe I’m on to something here.

So here’s what I’ll do. I’ll probably grill some stuff if the weather’s good, and make a bunch of grain and vegetable salads and side dishes and then everyone can pick and choose what they like and undoubtedly I will have some leftovers to eat on Monday. As for dessert, I still have an apple pie in my freezer, from the pile I made last November during apple season, and I always have Grand Finale Cookies there too — those are the fabulous oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies you can find here and in my book, Hip Kosher. So maybe I will make a vanilla cake too or just let it rest at vanilla ice cream. 

Here’s a recipe for one of the side dishes I’m going to cook.

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf with Apricots and Pistachio Nuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock

3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

pinch cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the bulgur and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the stock and add the salt, pepper, fresh herb and apricots. Stir, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the pistachio nuts, parsley and cinnamon or lemon peel. Makes 6-8 servings