TAHINI FOR TASTY TUESDAY!

I had avoided Tahini for years…Don’t ask me why! But after seeing it as an ingredient in so many recipes-especially vegetarian ones, I finally bought a jar a couple of weeks ago…and I’m glad I did! Not only is it a tasty addition to many meals, (especially when mixed with some rice wine vinegar, and tamari,) it’s also super nutritious!


I got this off of the http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au website:

Tahini is a nutritional powerhouse, being high in vitamins E, F and T, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B15, biotin, and choline. It is also a source of vitamin A. Tahini is also 20 percent complete protein – making it a richer protein source than milk, soya beans, sunflower seeds, and most nuts.
Tahini is one of the highest sources of methionine, an essential amino acid, and also contains lecithin, which reduces the levels of fat in the blood and also protects against environmental toxins such as nicotine. Tahini is also high in minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus, and is an excellent source of calcium. In fact tahini is claimed to be the best source of calcium there is and, unlike the dairy products that supply calcium in the western diet, it is not mucus forming.
Tahini is very high in oil, over 50 percent. However, despite being high in fat, most of the oil is unsaturated fat, which is much healthier for the body. Even though it is high in oil, tahini keeps very well and will not go rancid, even if it is not refrigerated after opening. This is because sesame seeds contain the natural preservatives sesamin and sesamol, which stabilise it.

So, today’s recipe is Soba Noodles with Chicken and Veg in a Tahini sauce:


Sauce:
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs tahini
2 tsp tamari
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tbs water
2 tsp sugar

I poured a bit more than half over about 500grams of chopped chicken and saved the rest. I let the chicken sit while I prepared the vegetables.

Veggies:

1 cup chopped snow peas
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup bean sprouts (I used canned because that’s all that’s available right now)

I did a real quick blanch of the peas and shrooms then let them sit on a plate. Then boiled the soba noodles till cooked-then drained.

I cooked up the chicken in my wok till it was almost done-then added the veggies & noodles and tossed until heated through and chicken was fully cooked.

I put some of the leftover sauce on top for a little more flavour-YUM!

This recipe will serve 4.
Cheers!