When I first switched to the plant-based diet I was concerned that eating vegetables alone would be quite tasteless, especially without my usual go-tos of mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce to dip my food into. However, tahini more than fills the void they left. It may sound like a niche ingredient but I recently discovered my local Asda and Sainsbury's sell it, so you don't have to buy the expensive version from health food shops.
Tahini is simply sesame seeds ground up into a paste. Knowing that it is just one ingredient with no added nasties make it so appealing and means you can trust what you are eating! Below are some uses for tahini and links to recipes I have posted:
- Drizzle it over your meals as I did in my winter veg buddha bowl
- Use it in a pasta sauce like in this creamy vegan pasta dish
- Combine it with miso paste and other flavours to create a dip like this thousand island sauce
- Spread over toast as you would with butter and throw some mushrooms on top like in this snack
- Stir some into a salad like with this quinoa and veg creation
- Mix it into your stir fries alone or combine it with miso paste for an amazing stir fry flavour
The thing you need to consider when changing to a plant-based diet, or trying out healthier, vegetable-based meals, is that without flavour you are just eating plain veggies which, more often than not, can be quite tasteless by themselves. Therefore I try to bring every meal to life with lashings of different herbs, spices, garlic and, of course, tahini; that way you have an explosion of flavours and you don't crave the salty or additive food you used to live on.
As well as flavour, tahini has a host of health benefits (credit to Mind Body Green - see link below):
- It is a great source of Vitamin E which is essential for hair and nail growth
- It also has an abundance of vitatmins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15 which we need a good amount of when we don't consume meat
- It is rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron
- It promotes healthy cell growth
- It is a good source of Methionine which aids in liver detoxification
- It is high in unsaturated fat (a good fat - essential for heart health!)
If you haven't tried tahini, I cannot recommend it enough as the number one staple in your food cupboard. Go buy a pot now before everyone else cottons on to how amazing it is!
- Anna
Health benefits credit: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6997/10-Reasons-to-Eat-Tahini.html
