Tahini- The Healthiest Dip Ever!

I love tahini – since I was a little girl, I have eaten the sticky spread with a teaspoon, and of course my mother was happy, because tahini is so healthy. Tahini is made from sesame seeds- very simply and very tasty.
Tahini can be a great substitute for eggs as a bonding ingredient in some recipes such as in the veggie burgers; it can be used as a salad dressing (Quinoa and cauliflower) , as a spread on the bread, and a lot of mothers add tahini to the fruit puree they prepare for their babies (homemade Gerber).
Sesame seeds contain a high amount of calcium, in 2-3 tablespoons of sesame, there is more calcium than in a whole glass of mil; it is filled with zinc which is responsible for the production of collagen and thus returns flexibility to the skin and prevents wrinkles. Sesame seeds are rich in magnesium, which reduces high blood pressure. They contain a high amount of dietary fibers that clean the intestines and maintain normal digestive processes.

In addition, sesame seeds contain a high amount of antioxidants that protect the body, and a regular consumption lowers the level of bad cholesterol. Finally, sesame seeds are rich in tryptophan: an essential amino acid that the body does not produce on its own and must be obtained from food.
The amount of tryptophan is directly related to the amount of serotonin in the body, because it is the basis for the formation of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin affects appetite and mood – a sense of satiety and soothing. A lack of serotonin can cause bad mood, depression, and a feeling of hunger.
Of course when we arrived here, one of  the things that I did was to figure out where I could buy tahini, since it is a main ingredient in  hummus paste.

Food That Makes you Homesick

In Israel, my mother makes countless salads for Friday dinners and the tahini salad, is one of them. It is interesting that before we arrived in the United States, I would not eat “tahini salad”- only raw tahini. Perhaps it’s the longing for home, maybe it reminds me of Shabbat, and maybe it just reminds me of Israel.

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