Tahini Paste

Mmmmm, hummus sounds like a great snack, I think I'll whip some up... Opens pantry... chickpeas, check! Salt, Pepper, check! Olive oil, check! Lemon juice, check! Tahini paste... Darn it!!

What is tahini paste anyways?!?! Tahini paste is a paste made from toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. It can be purchased in a little jar at the store, and it's not the cheapest. But it's pretty easy to make, and stores for months in the fridge!

3/4 cup of sesame seeds and 3 tablespoons of olive oil will give you about 1/2 cup of tahini paste, enough for two batches of hummus.

First, add the sesame seeds to a shallow skillet and toast them over medium heat, stirring frequently. Sesame seeds go from browned to burnt pretty quickly, so watch them!

Next, let the seeds cool for a couple minutes then add them to your food processor with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Process in pulses, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed. Your end result will be a paste.

If you are using your tahini paste for hummus, you'll want it to be very creamy, like this...

All done! Now, where's the hummus?

Try my favorite, Avocado Hummus, right here!