Tahini is a sesame seed paste with a consistency much like peanut butter, and is commonly used as a main ingredient in both Hummus and Baba Ghanoush. 
But it can be used in so much more than Hummus and Baba Ghanoush. Many people have not tasted Tahini on its own. It has a delightful slightly roasted sesame flavor — without the sweetness that you often find in many nut or seed butters.
We use Tahini for so many tasty delights, here are some ideas, but don’t stop here, you can do so much more:
- Raw veggies Dip. This is a simple, tasty and healthful snack. We like this much better than a ranch dressing. We suggest adding a little lemon juice, and some seasoning, and maybe some hot sauce.
- Create you own Tarator sauce (not tartar sauce)Tarator sauce is a Middle Easten sauce that is commonly used on meats, seafood and vegetables. It is a perfect choice to put on Pita Bread and Pita Bread Sandwiches. To create this sauce, combine tahini with lemon juice, and some garlic, and parsley. We always improvise beyond this and suggest you might use some clove and garlic. To get a good consistency, you may want to use a food processor or blender. This combination alone will create a zesty mixture with a nutty, fresh tang for just about any dish.
As a Toast Spread. You can try it on a variety of breads, and feel free to experiment by adding honey or a vegetable spread.- Falafel Spread Put a Thin layer of tahini over some falafel, you may need to thin the tahini by adding some hot water and lemon juice.
- Use it as a meat sauce Tahini is great as a tasty condiment on meats. It can be used straight or you can some other ingredients like paprika or some spicy ingredients. If you add some feta cheese an cucumbers it will become a middle eastern treat.
- As a salad dressing Mix some tahini sauce, o;ive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and grated ginger. When you drizzle this on your salad, you will be pleasantly surprised.
- As a Soup Thickener
Nutrition
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database, a 2-tablespoon (tbsp) serving of tahini made from roasted sesame seeds and weighing 30 grams (g) contains:
- 178 Calories
- 13 g fat
- 36 g Carbohydrates
- 8 g fiber
- 15 g sugar
- 1 g protein
- 8 percent of Magnesium
- 22 percent of phosphorus
- 14 percent of iron
- 12 percent of Calcium
Tahini has 13 grams of fat, but only 2 of the 16 grams found in a 2-tbsp serving are saturated. The rest are mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, which are known to be beneficial to the heart and overall health.
Sesame seeds also contain more phytosterols than all other nuts and seeds. These are important for their cholesterol-lowering and cancer-blocking effects.
