Food of the Week (Part I): A Taste of Tahini at Her Active Life

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Food of the Week (Part I): A Taste of Tahini

Posted October 20, 2007 at 04:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Her Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Vegetarianism

Tahini If you love a good hummus and spend many a lunch hour dining on cafeteria falafels, you’ve probably been enjoying tahini without even knowing it. This thick, nut buttery spread, made of hulled sesame seeds, is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, and the “secret” ingredient in hummus and even some Szechuan stirfry dishes. Tahini is even used in more than just savory dishes, as the main ingredient in halva, a Mediterranean dessert.

Tahini has numerous health benefits, as a very good source of (among many nutrients) calcium, iron, zinc, and fiber. Recent studies have linked calcium to more than just healthy bones, and researchers suspect it may play a role in easing PMS symptoms, preventing colon cancer, and relieving migraine headaches. Sesame seeds also have the highest content of phytosterols of any nut, and these compounds are widely touted as cholesterol lowering when consumed in sufficient amounts.

Much like all nut butters, tahini has a high fat content - but none of that nasty saturated stuff. This makes tahini a heart-healthy way to incorporate needed fats into your diet.

Tonight, serve this lemon-zest loaf with hot tea for a tasty bedtime snack or light dessert. With the added fiber and omega’s of flax seeds, this is a sweet loaf with notable health benefits.

Recipe Profile

Prep Time: 1 hour

Perfect For: A light breakfast, quick snack, or healthy dessert

Servings: 12

Ingredients
Lemon Loaf
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup tahini
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
Grated lemon (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Combine the flax with 1/3 cup of water and set aside. Combine the oil, tahini, and sugar, and then add the flax mixture and stir well. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the wet mixture. Finally, add soy milk and lemon juice, then fold in the nuts and raisins.

Pour the batter into an oiled pan, sprinkle with poppy seeds, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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Tags: breakfast recipes, food of the week, healthy recipes, lemon loaf, sesame paste, sesame seeds, tahini, tahini nutrition, tahini recipes, vegetarian recipes, women's nutrition

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27 Responses to “Food of the Week (Part I): A Taste of Tahini” (Leave a reply)

Happy Life said:

This Tahini, the oily stuff, is really good for our health.

Sometimes I use it as spread when making a vegan sandwich. The unique taste really enrich our food.
February 21, 2008 at 09:59 AM
Tracy Perkins from Maricopa, AZ said:

Looks fantastic! I adore tahini and just tried it in a cookie recipe that was fabulous. I will definitely have to try this out, thanks for sharing!
May 19, 2008 at 09:24 PM
Honey said:

I just made this bread. I’ve never baked with tahini before. I like the combo of tahini and lemon. It’s a very tasty bread! However, it didn’t rise as much as I expected. Next time I make it I will mix the lemon juice and soymilk with the other liquid ingredients before mixing the dry and then stir until just combined, like other quickbreads. I think the order of the mixing made it a bit tough like if you stir muffin batter too much. I’d definitely recommend the addition of lemon zest to make the lemon taste stronger. Very tasty!
August 18, 2008 at 08:59 AM
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October 16, 2008 at 10:34 AM
secrets of wealthy people from around said:

I went to a local organic farmers market today. They have all kinds of things that are made on a local farm here. I bought a jar of raw tahini and when I tasted it, it was so bitter I couldn’t take it. I didn’t expect it to be sweet but I mean this stuff was disgusting.
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Monkee said:

So Tahini is popular in arab places right?

And what about other local seeds, like nirvana seeds which are popular in Holland?
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Sometimes I use it as spread when making a vegan sandwich. The unique taste really enrich our food. Thank’s!!!
April 1, 2009 at 01:53 PM
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Its very mouth watering.. extremely delicious ..yummy !!
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This is used as spread often with our food, tastes great.

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