I get twitchy if I don't have a jar of this in my pantry

If find myself recommending tahini to everyone lately, and so thought it was time to do a quick blog post on it. Tahini is rarely on any list of superfoods, but it should be. 

Firstly, it is an amazingly high source of well-absorbed calcium. 

Secondly, it contains essential fatty acids.

Thirdly, it's slightly bitter taste stimulates the digestive system, meaning that we break down food more thoroughly in the gut and increase our uptake of nutrients.

And lastly, it is soooo useful in recipes. You can use it as a thickener for sauces, dressing and dips, and it makes a good substitute for nut butters.

You can make your own by grinding sesame seeds - here is a great recipe, or pick up a jar of hulled or unhulled tahini in the health food aisle. Unhulled tahini is darker and has more nutrients, but is also more bitter. If you are trying tahini for the first time, then I recommend you go for the hulled version first.

Here are some ways that I use tahini:

• Make a vegan gravy by briskly stirring two tablespoons of tahini and two tablespoons of tamari into a cup of boiling hot water
• Add a tablespoon or two to your favourite bliss balls recipe to help everything bind together
• Use in Green Goddess dressing
• In hommous or my white bean dip
• Spread onto a pumpernickel or ezekial-style rye bread, top with honey and sunflower seeds for a satisfying snack