What’s the Secret Ingredient? Tahini!

I (Camilla) recently rediscovered this delicious ingredient! For the past several weeks I have been putting it on almost EVERYTHING! 

Tahini or tahina is made from toasted and ground sesame seeds and is a Middle Eastern staple.  It is essentially a seed butter made of ground sesame seeds. It gives flavor to hummus, baba ghanouj, halva or on its own. I love making a simple tahini sauce and adding it to everything - it is great on cooked greens, with meats, grains, as a dipping sauce for vegetables or as a spread in a sandwich.  

Basic Tahini Sauce Recipe

• Salt

• Water 

• Tahini paste - you can make your own or buy it

  • Here’s a tutorial on how to prepare your own here from Middle Eats, check out their YouTube channel and IG @middleeatsyt)

I am not specifying amounts because you can simply prepare the amount that you want. Put some tahini paste in a bowl (a few heaping spoonfuls), add a pinch of salt and start adding warm water and stirring - just a tbsp at a time,  stir it in until the consistency is right for you and the flavor - add more salt, as needed. You can also do this in a blender or food processor.

Optional add-ins

• Spices: garlic or garlic powder, harissa, cumin

• Lemon juice in place of some of the water

• Herbs such as fresh parsley or scallion

I made a herbed tahini sauce this week with parsley, scallions and some harissa and it is so good! 

Tahini is low in saturated fat but a good source of unsaturated fat, low in sodium, and gives some protein and a bit of iron.  It is vegan, gluten and dairy-free but because it's fat it lends a lot of flavor and texture to your meal. 

Enjoy!