Sesame Tahini Recipe – For the Love of Hummus

Making your own tahini paste at home is a good way to be sure of all the ingredients in there. Not only that, but you can use tahini paste for so many other things besides putting into your hummus recipes. Made from roasted sesame seeds, this dip or spread can be used as a peanut butter substitute.

Many people cannot tolerate peanut butter due to allergies, so tahini is a good alternative. Also the taste of tahini is not as strong as peanut butter so it’s a good alternative for people who simply don’t like the taste of peanut butter. Use it on sandwiches and in wraps to give some extra flavor and it’s much healthier than salad creams and many other condiments. Add to that the fact that you have made it yourself at home, and you can be sure you are getting all the good nutrients out of your home made tahini.

Tahini can be used as a dip by itself, and is amazing with fruit such as apples and pears. Try it and see what I mean! Yum!

Why Tahini?

Tahini is a complex and nutty flavor that lends itself to many recipes and uses in the kitchen. You can spread it on toast or focaccia bread and you will be in love with the flavors that hit your tongue.

You can use tahini as a salad dressing to give your salads an unusual, nutty flavor. You can spread it on your steak for a lovely flavor combination.

Add it to your stir fry or satay sauce for a boost of flavor without the calories. Tahini can also be used as an ingredient in cookies if you crave that baked nutty flavor.
Follow the recipe below to make some awesome tahini that you can use for so many things. Keep it in an air tight container  for a few days. Be sure to make some extra to spread on your morning toast.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup of olive oil. Extra virgin is ideal, but really whatever you have on hand.

Method

• Place the sesame seeds on a piece of greaseproof paper on a flat baking dish. Spread out as thin as possible so that they roast evenly.
• Place into an oven that has been preheated to 180(0)
• Roast for 5 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
• Bring tray out of the oven and redistribute the sesame seeds on the tray so that they will roast in the most even way.
• Put tray back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Watch them like a hawk because once they start burning they are ruined.
• Once they are ready, remove from the baking tray onto another flat surface for cooling for a couple of minutes.
• Transfer the sesame seeds to a food processor and process for one minute.
• Slowly add olive oil.
• Continue processing for another 3 minutes. You will notice a smooth paste forming. If you would like it to be runnier then add more olive oil.
• Add salt and pepper if you desire, but you should not need any.
• Store your tahini in an air tight container for up to 4 days.