Stocking our fridge with an assortment of nut and seed butters gives me more options for making non-dairy cream soups, sauces, dips, dressings and sandwich spreads.  Since they keep well refrigerated and in order to spontaneously create recipes, I typically have on hand peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and tahini.

Tahini is made of ground hulled sesame seeds made into a paste.  If you’ve had hummus, you’ve had tahini because it’s one of the main ingredients.  In fact it’s an often used ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Perhaps you’ve bought tahini for a special recipe and still have the rest of the jar sitting in your fridge or on the shelf waiting for the next time you feel inspired to experiment. But tahini is not a seed butter to be ignored.

Tahini is full of wonderful nutrients including, protein, copper, and manganese.  It’s a good source of the amino acid tryptophan, is high in calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B, zinc, selenium, essential fatty acids, and dietary fiber.  To read more about tahini’s health benefits click here:  http://www.naturalnews.com/026409_tahini_calcium_cancer.html#ixzz2On0JLnmL

Bottom line though, tahini tastes great and its so versatile!  I love it’s creamy smooth texture and subtle nutty flavor.  It makes for great sauces to put over buckwheat, with chick peas and over noodles.  You can find this nutritious seed butter in natural foods markets or in the ethnic foods section of your grocery store.  There are many brands out there, some packaged in cans and some in jars.  The best brands have the shortest list of ingredients and are organic.  Remember to store tahini in a cool dry place and refrigerate after opening.  And by all means, savor its deliciousness!