Raw Tahini

I love tahini. This middle eastern spread gives baba ganoush and hummus distinct flavors. Sesame seeds are loaded with calcium and protein. It’s just good stuff!  But most tahini is made with toasted seeds so, while it’s delicious,vegan and gluten-free – it’s not raw.  I am not a raw vegan, but I do try to choose as much unprocessed and raw food as possible. So I popped out and bought some raw sesame seeds and went to work to try a raw version.

A little over a year ago, I posted about making tahini using my my food processor and toasted seeds. This attempt resulted in delicious tahini, but about fried my poor food processor and took an incredibly long time to make. I decide to stick with the stuff in the jar for my sanity and compassion for my food processor.

Now I have a new kitchen gadget, the Blendtec Twister. I am not receiving anything for this endorsement, but I have to say, this little container rocks! I filled the Blendtec with a cup of seeds and in 30 seconds I had about 1/2 cup of smooth tahini. Smaller amounts seem to work better and blend faster, so I repeated the process and in a few minutes I had a decent sized jar or this raw goodness. Fast and super easy.

Keep in mind, tahini made with raw sesame seeds tastes different than toasted seeds. But I love this tahini and use it to make my raw hummus – something I’ve become totally addicted to and now keep as a staple in my fridge.