tahini???

[h00pychic]

does anyone have any suggestions for tahini butter. i am new to RAW and i had heard it mentioned a lot so i decided to purchase a jar of it at the health food store. I need simple ideas. Thanks :)

[rawstrawberry]

You can make Halva

2 cups tahini
1/2 cup agave
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1/2 cup shelled pistachios

Process in food processor except pistachios mix them in after. Shape into loaf chill for two hours cut into pieces. Add 1/3 cup raw carob to half vanilla mixture to marble.

[MoniDew]

Tahini Dressing:

juice of a lemon
1 clove of garlic
1T+ tahini (raw)
pinch of celtic sea salt
1/2+ EV olive oil

Combine all in a blender. Add more olive oil, if you find it too thick. Add more tahini if you find it too thin. Pour over salad of choice and enjoy.

[surfergrrl]

it goes into making hummus! and you can sustitute other beans for the chick peas. i just made it yesterday with soaked pinto beans and my husband loved it.
you know what? alissa is right - guys make the transition very well. i'm so surpirsed at my husband. he always has undiscovered depths (after 28 years of marriage, i'm still learning about him), but he is great with raw food.

[Peas&Carrots]

Made this over thanksgiving and it was DELICIOUS! I omitted all seasonings except cumin, and did not use extra sesame seeds (only because I didn't have any). I order all of my tahini, nuts, nut butters and dried veggies (tomatoes) from Living Tree Community dot com


No Bean Hummius

2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
4-8 garlic cloves
2 t celtic salt (or use dulse flakes)
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
3/4 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup tahini
1/4 t cayenne
1 t paprika
1 t ground cumin

Process zucchini, olive oil and garlic first in food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth!! Yummy!

[Vandy]

does anyone know if joyva tahini is raw?

[PeanutBee]

I am going to soak some chick peas for some hummus and all I have in the house is Joyva Tahini. I know this was asked earlier, but does anyone know if it is raw? I'm dying for some hummus!

[andypdx]

I am going to soak some chick peas for some hummus and all I have in the house is Joyva Tahini. I know this was asked earlier, but does anyone know if it is raw? I'm dying for some hummus!
I have not found any pre-packaged tahini that is truly raw (even the ones that SAY raw).

Does anyone know the easiest way to make tahini if I am starting with sesame seeds? I tried soaking some raw unhulled sesame seeds then putting them in the food processor, but this did not seem to do the trick.

Any ideas?

[Stina]

Tahini unfortunately is guaranteed to give me heart burn, and I'm really not disposed towards that. And I still eat it anyway sometimes.

[imshashi]

I am going to soak some chick peas for some hummus and all I have in the house is Joyva Tahini. I know this was asked earlier, but does anyone know if it is raw? I'm dying for some hummus!

I don't have a reply- I have the same question. Did anyone give you a definitive on this one?

[freespirit]

blend with water and a banana...1 T tahini, 1 banana, 1/4 water- i ususally triple the recipe. increase or decrease the water depending upon the thickness you want

[Gittel]

Freespirit, this sounds yummy. Do you eat it as a dressing or plain as a dessert?

Gittel

[Spiral Leana]

if joyva is the stuff in the orange can, processed in brooklyn it is NOT RAW. it is definitely not organic and the stuff is so toxic i got really sick (both) times I ate it

[GlimR]

I got the recipe from goneraw......

Raw Tahini

Ingredients
1 cup raw white hulled sesame seeds soaked in enough water to cover for 30-40 minutes
filtered water (as needed to blend well, maybe 1/4 cup or so)
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch sea salt

Preparation
Blend soaked sesame seeds with their soaK water, olive oil and salt. Add filtered water until the tahini has reached the desired consistency. If you have cold pressed sesame oil, use that instead of the olive oil.

I made this today in the vitamix..not too bad~:)

Store in fridge..made about 1 1/2 cups.

[andra]

I am glad this question was posted because I just bought a jar of raw tahini from the health food store and I am at a total loss as to what to do with it. The jar is labeled raw and it is coming from a hard core health food store, so I am going to take their word for it.

In terms of making hummus, how do you use garbonzo beans if you are following a raw diet? Do you soak them in water overnight and then what?

I like the idea of making some kind of salad dressing from it but again am at a loss. I dont want to use olive oil (since I dont have any right now) so I am not sure how to proceed.

I like the recipe for zuchinni hummus except for the olive oil. Hmmm, I wonder if I could make the recipe without the oil and maybe just add water or something?

andra

[MangoMyst]

i just mix tahini & raw honey together & use it as a dip for my baby carrots...I love it that way!

[soulstar]

Please excuse me if this is TMI (too much information), I am just sharing some of my own research and taste preferences. Your mileage may vary.;)

In my understanding, raw tahini has to be refrigerated to be truly raw. If a jar says raw tahini or sesame butter (like Maranatha) it simply means that they began the processing with raw sesame seeds. Unfortunately, during the grinding processing the temperatures rise above recommended raw, living processes.

The only raw tahini I have found in a HFS is made by Rejuvenative Foods.

RE: Rejuvenative Foods
It can only be found in the refrigerator section.
In their own words:
What is it about Rejuvenative Foods' Nut and Seed Butters that is so special? Our freshness-dated, raw, refrigerated Nut and Seed Butters are special because they are unheated (not roasted) and still have life energy, vitamins and minerals that are further retained as a result of immediate refrigeration and assured freshness that you know of by our 9 month "best if sold before" date. Ask for Rejuvenative Foods Nut and Seed Butters by name, as you would cold processed oil. An important aspect of retention of life energy is: We monitor temperature during grinding so that heat friction doesn't cook our nuts and seeds.
At what temperature do we process our Raw Nut and Seed butters? Generally the nut and seed butters are ground at temperatures between 112 and 116 degrees. Ocassionally the grinder might get as hot as 118 degrees, although this is rare.

Here is the Rejuvenative Foods link for more info:
http://www.rejuvenative.com/faq.htm#faq2


RE: Living Tree Community
I have also bought Living Tree Community raw tahini via online, but have found that the Rejuvenative tastes more alive to me than the Living Tree community tahini. They do not give a temperature for their processing on their website. Their own words are below;

How hot does the machine get during the process of grinding almond?
We make our raw almond butter in small batches at our plant here in Berkeley. The machine gets warm during the grinding process. We slice, let it rest over night and then slice again the next day. A costly, labor intensive process.
Link to Living Tree:
http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/faqs.asp

IMO, I believe that Living Tree tahini has a lot more life to it than any unrefrigerated jar sold in a HFS that says Raw Tahini. (I know Marantha and rader Joe's sell jars that say Raw Tahini- but I believe their processing temperatures are above the acceptable raw limits.

RE: [B]Maranatha
In Maranatha's own words :
What temperature are your raw nut butters produced at?
During the grinding process for all of our products (and for most any commercially made nut butter), there is considerable heat generated by the friction of the ingredients inside the grinder. We do not specifically monitor this temperature, but we know by our Quality Assurance tests and product safety standards that it is sufficient to eliminate any harmful or opportunistic bacteria.
Can I eat your raw products as part of a raw foods diet?
Different raw food diets use different temperature thresholds to define what is "raw" by that diet's standards. The term "raw" is not regulated and we do not wish to mislead any consumer who is following a strict raw eating plan.

With over 20 years of producing nut butters, our professional suggestion for any strict raw food eater is this: Purchase a high quality food mill or food processor and conduct your own grinding trials to monitor the temperature of the finished product. With a smaller batch you may be able to better control the friction and heat produced during the grinding. We wish you every success in this process as this was how our business began over 20 years ago.



It is costlier to make truly raw tahini, as the Living Tree Community blurb mentioned in their response to temperature questions.
Sometime soon, I would like to try to make some of my own following the recipe GlimR posted. Thanks, GlimR:)

So far my favorite truly raw tahini is Rejuvenative Brand, with Living Tree as second choice. Personally, both are worlds apart from any other tahini I have eaten.

ARTISANA is another raw nut and seed butter manufacturer. They don't mention the temperatures of their grinding process on their website, but they do start wth raw nuts and seeds.
This is their link : http://www.premierorganics.com/
I have bought their coconut butter from Alissa's online store and it is YUMMY! Anyone tried their tahini or nut butters?


All the best

[kaybee]

take a pass on that one! i know its supposed to be really high in calcium and i think iron, but i felt like i was eating charcoal...kinda tasted like it too... yuck. i guess i just dont like black sesame seeds. both times ive had them, both the seeds and the tahini tasted like charcoal.... same consistency too kinda.....

kb

[EmJo]

I have not found any pre-packaged tahini that is truly raw (even the ones that SAY raw).

Does anyone know the easiest way to make tahini if I am starting with sesame seeds? I tried soaking some raw unhulled sesame seeds then putting them in the food processor, but this did not seem to do the trick.

Any ideas?

If you have a Cuisinart, you can make tahini from hulled, UNSOAKED sesame seeds. Add a little oil to make it less thick. I read online that the stuff made from unhulled sesame seeds is actually called "sesame paste". You can make it the same way in a high-powered food processor, but it takes a lot longer and requires several stoppings to scrape the sides down.

I never soak my seeds, and I don't care if it's thick so I don't add oil, either.

[solongng00dnite]

take a pass on that one! i know its supposed to be really high in calcium and i think iron, but i felt like i was eating charcoal...kinda tasted like it too... yuck. i guess i just dont like black sesame seeds. both times ive had them, both the seeds and the tahini tasted like charcoal.... same consistency too kinda.....

kb

Ugh I bought this one too. I read somewhere that black sesame seeds were better so when I was in the store and saw the black tahini I was like "oh better get the one that is more beneficial." I brought it home and tasted it and was like oh god I just spent mad loot on disgust. Then looking through recipes that call for tahini I wouldnt even dare put that in them. I made hummus out of it and it made the hummus dark grey and it had a funky taste. After a day or so the taste got a bit better but still.

And good ideas for Black Tahini?

[freespirit]

I guess Ill have to make my own tahini from now on....

I drink my recipe as a smoothie. i guess you could use it as a dressing too...