Edibly Educated

Inspiration through Education

You are here: Home / 2015 / Archives for June 2015

Archives for June 2015

Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Hummus

by

Homemade Hummus

Hummus…the dip that is sure to give you your savory food fix and is sent from the glorious snacking god.

But how can you avoid the GMO oils in the store-bought hummus, make up some rad new flavors, and possibly save a little money while doing so?

You know me so well. Yes, you can make your own, of course!

Why do I want to make my own hummus?

Like I mentioned, making something yourself from scratch is usually going to trump store-bought versions when taking into consideration freshness and healthiness. You get to choose all your own ingredients (including ones that are in season) thereby avoiding any of the questionable ingredients found in brands at the store. Most are made with soybean or canola oil, which are primarily genetically modified if not organic. I do my best to avoid GMOs if I can, so making my own allows me to use higher quality oils like organic extra virgin olive oil or organic sesame oil. You typically won’t see these used with many common brands because the vegetable oils are so much cheaper. With homemade hummus, you really are saving money too, especially if you can find chickpeas on sale. Tahini may seem to be expensive, but you only use a very small amount so it’s a worthy investment. Plus, you don’t have to use it, and you can make your own for way cheaper! You know I hopped on that train. 🙂 Also, like I state in many of my other guides, the coolest thing about making things homemade is the opportunities for customization. You can add any flavors, tap into your creative culinary side – yeah, ya got one! – and cater it to your liking/needs/preferences. Also, it’s INCREDIBLY quick and easy to make!

What’s so great about hummus?

Chickpeas are a great source of fiber and protein. It’s a great food that will keep you full AND provide you with nutrients – it’s not just empty calories like many other snack foods can be. Fiber is good for your digestive and intestinal system, and the soluble fiber in chickpeas may also usher bad cholesterol out of the body. Protein can help stabilize blood sugar levels and promote satiety. Chickpeas also contain vitamins and minerals like iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphate, vitamin K, vitamin B-6, and calcium, which may contribute to bone health, increased energy levels and many other benefits.

Whatever you decide to add to your hummus, whether it be the anti-bacterial properties of lemon juice and garlic, calcium and healthy fats from the tahini or phytonutrients from greens, will also offer additional nutrients and benefits.

What are all the ways I can use hummus?

Most people know of hummus as a dip for pita bread/chips, crackers, or chopped veggies. But hummus wears a couple more hats including its use:

  • On Salads – if you want to do this, remember you can always change the consistency of your final product by adding more liquid, whether that be oil, lemon juice or water! You can also add a little vinegar instead to give it a little zing or just add it to other salad dressing recipes that you think it would compliment well. I also came across one that’s made with orange juice, hummus and olive oil.
  • As a Spread – can use in place of mayo, on bread, tacos or wraps, on top of grilled portobello mushroom caps
  • As a Sauce – for homemade pizza with veggies, added to chopped eggs or chicken for a sandwich filling, with pasta or noodles
  • In Soup – You can add it to your favorite soups to make them more creamy or try this one or this mushroom one

Alright, now how can I master this art of making hummus?

Here are the main components:

  • Chickpeas – Key player here! I’ve only ever used canned and think that’s going to be your easiest, most convenient method. I always find organic ones on sale for $1 and just buy a few to have on hand. There are also darker colored, more odd-shaped garbanzo beans out there that may be higher in some nutrients and are more common around the world. They are referred to as ‘desi’ type beans. If you see these, they’re worth trying! If you’re going to cook the chickpeas yourself using dried legumes, use about 2 cups cooked chickpeas in place of the can.
  • Fats/Oils – Most common are Tahini and Olive Oil, but you can also use sesame oil
  • Acids – Lemon or Lime Juice
  • (Typically) Garlic – Minced or pressed
  • Seasonings – Most common is just sea salt, but you can also add pepper, garlic powder (if you don’t have or want to use fresh), onion powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, chives, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, chipotle powder (or chilies), dillweed

Then, get jazzy by adding these extras if you please:

  • Flavors – 1-2 tbsp. tamari (or any substitute like organic soy, nama shoyu, coconut aminos), roasted pine nuts, walnuts or almonds, hemp seeds, olives, small amount of organic yogurt or some cashews for creaminess, nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, sriracha or jalapaño, balsamic-glazed onions
  • Veggies – Grilled or marinated artichoke, spinach, kale, sun-dried tomato, roasted or fresh red peppers, cooked beets or sweet potato, avocado, roasted eggplant or zucchini
  • Herbs, fresh or dried – basil, parsley, cilantro, tarragon

Below is a sweet potato hummus I made without a recipe; I just added one medium cooked sweet potato with a can of chickpeas, some olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and sea salt. It was quite tasty!! I liked the sweetness added because of the yam. It was decently thick so if I wanted a thinner consistency, I would have just added more water, oil or lemon juice.

Sweet Potato Hummus

First you want to rinse and drain the beans, then you basically place all the ingredients, except for garnishes if using some, in a blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth. You may need to add small amounts of warm water ( 1 tbsp.) at a time to get it to blend if using a blender. A tip from Cookie and Kate is to blend/process the tahini and lemon juice together first to make the hummus extra creamy. That’s a link to her fabulous Green Goddess Recipe.. you should check it out!

Below is a great common starter recipe from a jar of tahini. You can use it to reference for the amounts and then you can add any of the things mentioned above to spice it up! Just taste test as you go by adding a little of each ingredient at a time.

Basic Hummus Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 1 clove garlic
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients (plus any others that you'd like) in a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.

Okay, so I did come across cookie dough hummus when I was doing a little reasearchin’. Yeah, you know I tried it. It was a little different, but overall I did really like it! I really enjoyed it spread on some sprouted grain (like Ezekial) toast! I just did a fusion of these three recipes from Chocolate-Covered Katie, A Dash of Compassion, and Pop Sugar.

Cookeie Dough HummusCookeie Dough Hummus Cookeie Dough HummusCookie Dough Hummus-18-2

Sources: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280244.php
http://oldwayspt.org/resources/12-ways-use-hummus

Now over to you..any other flavors I’m missing? Are you ready to make your own? Chat with me using the form below!

Have fun!

sign 2

Stop Thinking This and Start Taking Control of your Life

by

Mindset

This has been an ongoing struggle for me for quite some time. I guess I remember it being the strongest when I was in college, but I still find myself resorting back to this thought: I’ll do the things I want to do when some condition is more favorable for that action to take place.

Or more simply:

I’ll _______ when ________.

I call it the comfort card. This statement literally gives you comfort. In the moment. You feel all warm reassuring yourself that you ARE going to be healthy, ripped, fit, flexible, responsible, happy, successful – whatever you desire – in the near future. It’s a way of making yourself feel good about what’s yet to come, but it’s also just delaying taking action. What’s not comforting, and probably more frustrating than anything, is when that time comes and you are still not doing what you truly want to do.

Here are some examples from my own life:

  • I’ll stretch and practice handstands more when I move to a new place (college apartment=nasty carpet=no way am I putting my body on/face close to that)
  • I’ll post more blog posts when I have more free time (I’ve given myself more, and it still hasn’t happened)
  • I’ll eat better when it’s summer and I have more time (definitely used that during some of the college years)
  • I’ll read more when I’m done with school (was out for almost a year before I even finished a book, which was only because of my reading challenge 🙂 )
  • I’ll work out more when it’s nice out (Michigan winters… don’t even get me started)

It took me some time to realize that people who are doing the things I want to do are NOT saying this or thinking this to themselves.

You are not going to be anything you desire if you keep delaying what could be done now. You’ll never get any sort of results without putting in the work. And you’ll never put in the work if you keep making excuses about why it’s not an ideal time or situation to put in the work.

And what even is ‘ideal’? I feel like it’s just something we simply make up in our heads because we think it’s going to be more conducive to our efforts, but maybe it’s not actually as great as we think it would be. Or maybe it’s just your perspective that something is better, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Don’t waste the time waiting for your conjectured ideal time to take place, because for all you know, something ELSE may be in your way when you are in what you thought would be your ideal situation!

Understand this: there will always be something in your way in regards to some facet of your life that you’re trying to improve. Hopping OVER that something or finding a way AROUND it is what is going to help you grow even more so than if your situation was ‘ideal’ in the first place. I have seen so much growth in myself by quieting the voice that says, ‘I’ll _______ when _______.’ All it takes is a choice (and maybe some creativity). You have to stop that thought before you even begin to entertain it. Although it seems more comfortable, you have to decide that now is as good a time as any! Maybe the way you do it will have to be revised a little or isn’t AS effective as you’d like, but you’re still DOING it. And I’m talking about doing the things that mean a lot to you. It seems difficult and maybe even unnatural to decide to stop playing the comfort card and do something about it in the present, but the best part is that it gets easier with practice. In time, your mind will more easily recognize when you are resorting to this idea and once that happens, you have the power to redirect your thoughts.




Here’s what a real life situation looks like for me:

I want to be more flexible and be able to do handstands. For some reason, I’ve wanted it for a long time, and it means a lot to me. I guess it just makes me so happy, helps me build strength, and I feel accomplished when I do it. I don’t like to stretch at the apartment so instead of thinking I’ll stretch when I get a new place (with clean floors!), I’ve been finding places to stretch outside in the grass. Guess what? That’s not an ideal situation for me either; we have NO YARD whatsoever. That could be another excuse, but instead I just seek out other places. And yes, sometimes it’s itchy or I get bit by mosquitoes or cars driving by see me practicing my forearm handstands in the grass, but I don’t care. I feel so content being outside, and I ALWAYS feel so great after getting in some good stretching and handstand practice. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise too because ever since my nature challenge, I have a newfound love of the outdoors. Now I think I’m more excited to stretch outside than in!

Obviously there are limiting factors that can make something very, very hard for us to do, and I don’t think you should beat yourself up over things you have no control over. Sometimes things don’t work out at certain times for more serious reasons, and it’s always important to practice self-acceptance and self-love in those times. However, I do think it’s a great skill for anyone to have to be able to recognize when we are actually making excuses and playing the ‘I’ll ______ when _______’ game because I’m willing to bet that that’s the case more often than not.

What do you think? Do you find yourself thinking like that? How do you stop yourself and redirect your thoughts to take action?

Also, one thing I recommend to kickstart your ‘take action now’ campaign is to start doing some 30-day challenges. When you have something you strive to do everyday no matter what, you begin to see that you can stomp all over excuses and make a way when there doesn’t seem to be one 🙂

Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

by

Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

Okay, so I advise you to steer clear of the traditional ‘fruit’ roll-up from Betty Crocker.

Berry Berry Cool Ingredients: Pears From Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acetylated Mono And Diglycerides, Pectin, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1).

That is NOT a berry berry cool ingredient list, Betty.

Now I know these may be a thing of the past and you don’t necessarily eat them anymore, but many, many foods like Betty Crocker’s Fruit Roll-Ups are being sold all over and tons of kids are consuming them. The corn syrup, the trans fats, the ‘flavors’, the dies – they’re so prominent in candy and children’s foods these days. Not only can we ourselves avoid eating these kinds of foods, but we can also avoid giving them to our children and future children. There are infinitely better options! Including these dehydrated smoothies homemade superfood real fruit roll-ups. I guess you can call these ‘the adult fruit roll-up’ or ‘the improved kid fruit roll-up’.




They are made primarily from fruit, but you can also sneak in some super foods, seeds, powders and what have you to make them more nutritious!

Need a little inspiration?

I gotchu.

  1. Start with the fruit.. bananas, pineapple, apples, melon, all kinds of berries, apricots, peaches, mango, pears, kiwi, durian, lychee, etc. You want your mixture to be primarily fruit.

If you’d like..

  1. Add some greens or a sneaky veggie.. kale, spinach, mixed greens, chard, cucumber
  2. Add some super foods.. spirulina, chlorella, maca, cacao, açaí, goji berries, lucuma, mesquite powder, camu camu
  3. Add some ingredients to change up the flavor.. shredded coconut, lemon/lime juice, cinnamon, vanilla, other flavor extracts and spices
  4. Add some seeds.. chia, ground flax and hemp are great
  5. Add a hint of sweetness.. raw honey, maple syrup, agave, etc.

Then place it all in a blender and blend away.

Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

You literally just make a smoothie! Don’t be scared to mess up. Just taste test as you add ingredients and start by adding a very small amount because you can always add more! Some great combinations I’ve liked are:

Piña Colada – pineapple, spirulina or chlorella, banana and coconut

Banana Power – banana, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, maca, mesquite

Superberry – Mixed berries, açaí, goji berries, greens, banana, pear

Tango – Mango, lemon juice, chia, strawberry, lucuma

Grab Bag (shown in the pictures) – Banana, apple, blueberry, cranberry, strawberry, vanilla bean powder, ashwagandha powder, superfood smoothie mix from Bright Earth Foods

Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

Pour the mixture onto a Teflex sheet or wax paper and spread using a spatula so it’s about 1/8 inch thick. On a Teflex sheet, I like to pour a circle in the middle and then just move it in the air side to side, front to back so that the smoothie spreads over the sheet – it makes it a lot more even than trying to use a spatula to do it.  Dehydrate at 115 for 8-12 hours (overnight works great) until dry. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can bake them on your oven’s lowest setting on a parchment or Silpat-lined pan for 4-5 hours until dry as well. You don’t want this to bake so if your oven’s lowest setting is over 170, you may want to prop it open slightly or let it heat up to it’s lowest temperature and then turn it off and repeat every hour. Do so until it is not gooey at all when you touch it.

If you are going to use a dehydrator and you have a lot of trays you can fill, it’s nice to make up different kinds or multiple batches so you can make a mess once and have more on hand for snacking. I’ll make around a 40 oz. smoothe and fill about 5 trays. When dried, I then cut each big leather into thirds or fourths.

Superfood Fruit Roll-UpsSuperfood Fruit Roll-Ups Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

DSC_5085

Superfood Fruit Roll-Ups

Do you have any other questions or ideas?! Send them my way using the comments section below 🙂 Also, let me know what you try and how you like it!

Until next time 😉

sign 2

 

How to Make an All-Natural Toothpaste with Just 3 Ingredients

by

Why should I make my own toothpaste?

If you are looking for ways to eliminate chemicals from your life that are found in everyday products, making your own toothpaste can be a great start. It’s a way to avoid unwanted ingredients, including fluoride, that are usually present in conventional toothpaste. You can read more here about fluoride and why it’s good to avoid. Making your own toothpaste is incredibly economical and you can decide what you want it to taste like, the consistency and the texture. It’s fun to experiment with making different kinds in order to find a mixture that you love!

Just like I’ve stated in my other Beginner’s Guides, there is no right and wrong way to do these kinds of things. I firmly believe that equipping you with knowledge to create your own dishes and products based on what you have available to you and your preferences is much more beneficial than throwing another recipe at you. Do you agree?

So let’s get things rolling with my first Beginner’s Guide for a DIY product. Since we’ve already answered the why, let’s jump right into the how.

You can really just make your own toothpaste with three ingredients; coconut oil, baking soda or sea salt and a few drops of essential oil. However, there are ways to add more to your toothpaste, and this next paragraph will discuss all the possible ingredients you can use. There is also an example recipe to follow!

What are the common ingredients in toothpaste recipes, and why are they used?

  • Baking Soda – Mildly Abrasive (you can blend in a coffee grinder to make it more of a powder) and helps with whitening/stain removal. By increasing the PH of the mouth, it also slows down the growth of germs and bacteria, neutralizes plaque acids, and helps with combating unpleasant breath.
  • Coconut Oil – Unlike triclosan, coconut oil is a natural way to ward off decay-causing bacteria in the mouth. It is also good to add to help form a paste. Depending on the temperature, it may liquify so you may need to shake it up if you see that it has separated from the rest of the toothpaste.
  • Sea Salt – Like baking soda, sea salt alkalizes the saliva and also promotes salivation, which can also create a natural antibacterial protection for the tooth enamel.
  • High-Quality Bentonite Clay like Redmond Clay – May help draw out toxins from the tongue and gums. It is also a mild abrasive and helps with making a paste-like consistency.
  • Stevia or Xylitol – Because of the mineral salt and baking soda, your toothpaste may be quite salty. This ingredient is optional, but it sweetens the toothpaste and makes it more palatable. Both have studies backing them that have shown they help prevent cavities by reducing bacteria in the mouth. This ingredient, if used, should be added to taste. Do not use your toothpaste with your dog if you use xylitol, as it is toxic to dogs.
  • Liquid Castile Soap – Is used as a foaming agent. Unlike Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, liquid castile soap is harmless and chemical-free. You can use unscented or peppermint is nice if you are doing a minty paste!
  • Essential oils – Wintergreen and peppermint make it minty. You can also use germicidal or anti-bacterial oils like tea tree (I would use a very small amount of this – like one drop), lemon, cypress, eucalyptus, cajuput, lavender, camomile, and clove instead. Just be sure you don’t swallow them.
  • Water – If used, this thins the mixture or hydrates the clay.

By understanding the purpose of these ingredients, you can make a toothpaste that suits you or re-formulate the recipe example below depending on your preferences. I’d recommend starting out with equal parts of the first two ingredients and then adding the others as you see fit (depending on your sweetness, foaming and taste preferences).

Wintergreen Toothpaste Wintergreen Toothpaste Wintergreen Toothpaste Wintergreen Toothpaste

How do I incorporate all the ingredients I’ve chosen?

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then do the same with the wet ingredients. Then mix both of those mixtures together by hand. If you have an immersion blender, I would recommend using that because it gives your toothpaste more of a whipped texture.

Wintergreen Toothpaste

How do I store it?

There are a couple ways you can do this. You can simply place it in a little glass jar with a lid like we did in the pictures (it’s actually a spice jar we found at our local co-op grocery store .. similar here). You simply dip your toothbrush into the jar to get some toothpaste out. You can also buy an empty squeeze tube like this one if you prefer to squeeze the paste out onto your toothbrush.

Wintergreen Toothpaste

Wintergreen Toothpaste
Wintergreen Toothpaste Wintergreen Toothpaste

This is an example recipe of the ones we used in the pictures. Use this one or adapt it in any way to make it work for you!

Homemade Wintergreen Toothpaste
 
Print
This wintergreen toothpaste is incredibly economical and works great!
Author:
Serves: 4 oz
Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp. baking soda
  • 4 tbsp. coconut oil
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. stevia
  • 1 tbsp. filtered water
  • ½ tbsp. liquid castile soap
  • 30 drops wintergreen essential oil
Instructions
  1. Combine the dry ingredients and mix together.
  2. Combine wet ingredients and mix.
  3. Combine both mixtures and stir until well combined. You can use an immersion blender to help give it more of a whipped texture.

Any other ingredients I might be missing? I would love to hear from you!

🙂

sign 2

Tahini Miso Salad Dressing + Sushi Salad

by

Tahini Miso Dressing

So now that you know how to make your own tahini, it’s time to get some ideas about dressings to make with it! No better way to start than combining it with some good ‘ol miso. I recently bought some new miso, and it’s chickpea this time! For those of you who don’t know, miso is a fermented (typically) soybean paste that is used heavily in Japanese and Asian cuisine. You can also find other types of miso like azuki bean, brown rice, barley, golden millet, and chickpea like I mentioned. Two brands that carry these different varieties and that I really love are South River Miso and Miso Master Organic. By the way, don’t get tripped up about the price tag.. you don’t use very much at all so they last quite a long time!

Miso

What is so awesome about miso?

Miso is rich in antioxidants and probiotics and because it’s fermented, it contains beneficial bacteria that is good for your gut flora, which in turn may help support both your digestive and immune system. I used to work at an Asian fusion restaurant where we served miso soup. My mom would always tell me, ‘If you’re ever not feeling well at work, make sure you have some miso soup!’ It truly is a nice little addition to your diet.

Although it’s most notable for being used in soup, it can also be an incredible addition to dressings and sauces because of it’s bold saltiness. Check out this Massaged Kale Miso salad and my rockin’ how-to video while you’re at it 😉

Tahini Miso Dressing

The first day I made this Tahini Miso Dressing I just had it on some greens just like the ones shown in the picture above. However, the next day, I went ahead and made a SUSHI SALAD and doused it with this dressing.

And guess what? The sushi salad blew my mind! I loved pretty much every bite of it.. I just made if for dinner and didn’t know it would taste this yummy so I only have some phone pics to share. There was something about all of the veggies together – the textures AND flavors – that made this a salad I will FOR SURE make again!

Start with a bed of kale and other greens (mixed greens, romaine, leaf lettuce, etc.) and top with steamed asparagus, quartered and sliced cucumber, diced red pepper, one or two diced green onions, and some brown rice. Each vegetable I used really added to the WOW factor of the salad so if you try making this, I highly recommend not skipping out on one or two of them!Sushi Salad

Next top with avocado, nori strips or cut up nori sheets (I used A LOT more than were in this picture) and the tahini miso dressing below! Sushi Salad

This dressing can not only be used as a dressing but also as a sauce for really anything lunch/dinner-related! You can change the thickness of this dressing by adding more or less water. I used 1/4 cup, and it was pretty thin so if you want a thicker paste, I would start with 1 tbsp. and work your way up depending on the consistency you’re going for.

Tahini Miso Dressing Tahini Miso Dressing Tahini Miso Dressing

P.S. Black sesame seeds rock! Not only are they really affordable (we got a 1/2 lb. bag for only $1.80), but they’re also high in antioxidants, vitamin E and may offer anti-aging benefits — yeeeeeah!Tahini Miso DressingDSC_2377 Tahini Miso DressingTahini Miso Dressing

Tahini Miso Salad Dressing
 
Print
Prep time
Total time
 
This simple vegan dressing adorns salads with a creamy, savory and zesty kick!
Author:
Recipe type: Dressing
Serves: ¾ cup
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2 tbsp. miso
  • juice half lemon (about 1 tbsp.)
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. coconut aminos (or tamari, nama shoyu, etc.)
  • ¼ cup filtered water
  • dash of maple syrup, to taste
  • dash of cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix well. Store in an airtight container (like a Mason jar) in the fridge for 3-5 days.

If you love it, try making a double batch the next time so you can use it for multiple meals throughout the week!

With love,

sign 2

Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Tahini

by

Homemade Tahini

What is tahini?

Tahini is a subtly creamy paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is traditionally used in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cuisine in recipes like hummus, baba ganoush, and halva. It has a good amount of copper, manganese, calcium and magnesium in it, which may aid in relieving rheumatoid arthritis, improving vascular and respiratory health, preventing colon cancer, osteoporosis, and migraines along with many other health benefits.

How can I use tahini?

Tahini Miso Dressing

Tahini Miso Honey Spread

What are the benefits of making my own?

  • Fresher – the older tahini is and the longer it sits on a shelf in the store, the more it has a possibility of becoming rancid. Making your own can ensure that the tahini you are consuming is very fresh.
  • Cost-effectiveness – the reason I first wondered about making my own was because I wanted to save some money. Turns out, I did! If you have access to bulk sesame seeds and already have a food processor or a mortar and pestle, making your own could certainly be a cheaper option.
  • Diversity – you can experiment with adding different flavors or using different kinds of seeds. You can also make raw, unhulled tahini, which is potentially more nutritious and sometimes hard to find in stores.

How can I make my own?

You can use any kind of sesame seeds (unhulled, hulled, raw, toasted, sprouted or black), but keep in mind that the different kinds will lend different flavors to your final product. Raw, unhulled sesame seeds will make a more bitter tahini and toasted will taste less bitter and a bit nuttier. To toast the seeds on a stovetop, simply place seeds in a dry pan over medium heat and stir frequently for about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook the seeds! Stop when they have a slight nutty fragrance. You can also toast them in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes, stirring them once or twice in the meantime. Hulled seeds will make a smoother, lighter tahini while unhulled seeds will be less smooth but potentially more nutritious, especially in calcium content.

First start off with:

  • 1 cup of sesame seeds

By itself, this will yield about 1/2 cup of tahini. Process in a food processor using the ‘S’ blade for about 2-3 minutes until creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides every so often to help it along. You may also grind them with a mortar and pestle, but this option is not as easy as using a food processor.

Homemade Tahini

Homemade Tahini

Homemade Tahini

You only really need sesame seeds to make tahini, but you can add other ingredients if you would like.

You may add:

  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Olive oil, grapeseed oil, or sesame oil – start by adding a small amount, like 1-2 tablespoons, and add more depending on desired consistency. The more oils that’s used, the thinner the tahini will be. Using more oil will also yield more tahini in the end.

Store in the refrigerator in a jar or an airtight container. I love to reuse old peanut or almond butter jars, but you really can use any jar with a lid.

Have any more questions? Leave them below!

Have fun!

sign 2