Wonderful Pistachios + Dried Cranberries + Chocolate Dipped Clementines = One Great Pistachio Pairing

{I received free pistachio samples from the Pistachio Health Institute mentioned in this post. By posting this pairing I am entering a contest sponsored by Pistachio Health Institute and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.}

The development of this post required me to eat a lot of pistachios.  I am totally okay with that.

For this contest, you were challenged to create a pairing of pistachios and other foods/drinks to create the perfect snack.  Now, I'm all about snacks (as you may already know), but I'm used to creating recipes.  You know, like when you put a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and mix them together into one result.

A pairing is not really a recipe. You don't mix many things into one, you combine a few things into one idea.  That probably made no sense to you, but the point is, this contest required a different frame of mind that I'm used to.

I'm always up for a challenge though, and in the end I came up with an awesome combination.  Seriously, your snack time is about to get 1000x better.  Here's what's going down:

Part 1 of the pairing:  Wonderful Pistachios; roasted and salted, in shell, simple perfection..

Part 2 of the pairing:  Dried Cranberries; totally snackable, just sweet enough, deliciosu.

Part 3 of the pairing:  Chocolate Dipped Clementines; slightly sour orange, rich chocolate, completely decadent together.

As you can see, this is probably the best snack plate ever.  But the best parts?  It takes about two minutes to prepare and it ain't half bad for you.  Get snackin'!

Pistachio, Dried Cranberry, and Chocolate Dipped Clementine Pairing
(Note: This is less a recipe, and more general instructions for creating this pairing)

• Wonderful Pistachios
• Dried and Sweetened Cranberries
• A couple clementines, peeled and sectioned
• About 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or good-quality dark chocolate)

How to Serve: Line a large plate with wax or parchment paper.  Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 1 minute intervals until completely melted.  Dip clementine slices into chocolate and place on prepared plate so the chocolate can harden.  Repeat until all chocolate has been used.  Place plate in fridge for a little while to let the chocolate harden completely.  Fill a small bowl with wonderful pistachios.  Fill another bowl with dried cranberries.  Place both on a serving platter.  In the remaining space, arranged chocolate dipped clementines.  Enjoy!