Tahini a.k.a Sesame Paste

Here's a freakishly easy and versatile (in my opinion, because my opinion counts...sometimes) recipe. Tahini can be used on sandwiches, it can be a component of hummus, dressing, desserts if you're feeling adventurous, etc...

Below is an unflattering photo:

Ingredients:

2 cups sesame seeds
1 large lemon
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp miso paste (optional)
water
salt
pepper

Directions:

Throw sesame seeds, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little water in a blender. Then lemon zest and juice and blend add water until smooth.

Food factoid: If you want dressing, add chingos of water until it reaches the consistency of salad dressing.

Raw Vegan Jalapeno Devil Dip

My work cohort and I decided to bring some snackage to work for St. Patty's Day. One of the items on the grazing menu was an experimental vegan version of my cohert's ranch jalapeno (crack/devil) dip. Some work peeps asked for the recipe, a few said it was like crack, hence this post and the creation of this blog.

Please note that I will typically leave out portions for some of the ingredients. Its a "cook how you feel" thing.

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw cashews
1 even table spoon of white miso (Note: miso is a soy paste)
1 lemon
1-2 small cans of diced jalapenos
cilantro
garlic
salt
water

Directions:

Soak cashews in water for 1-2 hours. This will help make the dip smoother. Throw the white miso, lemon juice, jalapenos, cilantro, salt, and garlic into a blender or food processor. Then drain cashews and add to the rest of the mixture. As the ingredients are blending together, start adding some water until the dip is somewhat thick and smooth. Place in the fridge for about 30 min. to an hour.

Fun factoid: This can also be used to make rach dressing (someone that rides the bus with me gave me the ranch dressing recipe. Credit where credit is due). Just take out the jalapenos and cilantro - maybe add some onion salt and alot more water.

Enjoy!