As a passionate and devoted lover of delicious, easy recipes with health-boosting ingredients, sometimes I develop a crush on various foods, which essentially means that they show up on my table (and sometimes on my instagram account) on repeat - sometimes for life. 

I love the fact that even now, when I’m deep into my 50s, I still get charmed and excited by ingredients that never would have shown up in the 1970s era home where my palate was initially formed. There are always new tastes to be sampled and foods to explore!

Ingredients like winter squash, cacao nibs, matcha and rainbow chard have all had their turn in my spotlight and are now simply part of my regular menu rotation, or, in the case of matcha, a daily delight.

Tahini is an ingredient that’s also been on this list for a while now, and the time is overdue for me to share one of my favorite ways to use it.

In case you aren’t familiar with the deliciousness that is tahini, it’s basically a paste made from ground sesame seeds, kind of like peanut or almond butter, but not as naturally sweet. It’s also a featured ingredient in middle eastern foods like hummus and halva, which is a delicious, nougat-y confection that I have a bit of a weakness for.

I drizzle to drizzle tahini on things like smoothie bowls and bananas, it’s a featured ingredient in my sweet potato and beet hummus recipes, and I use it regularly with this super quick and simple tahini sauce. It’s is perfect as a salad dressing, tossed with roasted vegetables, on top of baked sweet potatoes and as a dipping sauce for all manner of things. 

I like it just as it is, or beefed up with some freshly chopped herbs like parsley or cilantro, a bit cayenne pepper, or a pinch ground cumin. Whatever you choose, this recipe will not disappoint. It keeps in the fridge for about 4-5 days, if it lasts that long!