I like Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. One key ingredient is Tahini. It’s really hard to find out here in East Texas. Luckily, it is easy to make and probably tastes better than store-bought.

Tahini
1 c. Sesame Seeds
3 Tbsp. avocado oil
1 pinch of salt

In a dry pan, toast sesame seeds until fragrant and lightly browned. Once cooled, grind in a food processor until powdery. Then run processor while slowly adding avocado oil and a pinch of salt. Pour into a container and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least a month. These are some of my favorite recipes that include tahini paste.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c. tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1 roasted red pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Purée all ingredients together in a food processor. Serve at room temperature with sliced squash and cucumbers or celery and carrot sticks.

Tahini Ginger Chicken Salad

Tahini Ginger Sauce:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
3 Tbsp. avocado oil
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tahini paste
3/4 c. chicken broth

Mix soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and srirachi sauce together and set aside. Skip the srirachi sauce if you don’t like heat.
Sauté ginger and garlic in avocado oil until softened. Whisk in tahini paste and chicken broth. Cook on medium-low heat about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Salad:
8 c. shredded cabbage
1-1/2 c. carrots, grated
3/4 c. radishes, sliced
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
3-4 c. chicken, shredded
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Mix together vegetables for the salad in a large bowl. Top with chicken and drizzle Tahini Ginger Sauce and toss to coat. In a dry skillet, toast sesame seeds 1-2 minutes and sprinkle over the top of the salad.

For just David and me, I made all of the Tahini Ginger Sauce, reserving half. Then I halved the salad recipe for our dinner. I used the leftover Tahini Ginger Sauce in a rice-bowl dinner.

The rice bowl is a great way to use leftovers. I heated leftover white and brown rice and layered a cup each into two bowls. Then I sautéed vegetables from the refrigerator that needed to be eaten soon. I used asparagus, yellow squash, green peas, grated carrots and onions. Layer those over the rice. Dress with some of the leftover Tahini Ginger Sauce.

I had about 10 frozen shrimp tails leftover from a prior dinner. I thawed them and cooked them in butter and garlic salt until the tails just started to turn pink. Place those on top of the rice and vegetables. That was a quick, light and flavorful dinner for two.