Lemon Herb Tahini

I'm a sucker for a good tahini dressing, this easy lemon herb tahini is a great dressing for anything from chicken to salads to the right kind of wrap. Plus it's made with a boat load of phytonutrient rich herbs to promote your health.

What is lemon herb tahini made with?

Lemon herb tahini has a base made of tahini, and perhaps olive oil or yogurt, along with loads of herbs and flavors, like lemon to brighten your greens and aid in the absorption of iron found in them.

• Tahini: make sure your tahini ingredients only contain 'sesame seeds' in the ingredient list.
• Herbs & greens: I used dandelion greens and cilantro, but play around! Try radish greens, parsley, chives, arugula, kale, stinging nettles or mustard greens.
• Water, or olive oil: You may want a thicker sauce if you're using it as a marinade, or thinner for a salad - adjust accordingly. I prefer water, instead of oil, because I get enough herbaceous-ness from the greens & herbs.
• Lemon: the juice of one lemon, or about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice. This brightens the recipe and aids in iron absorption.
• Garlic: I use raw garlic, rather than roasted because generally, organosulfur compounds in raw garlic have higher digestibility than those in cooked garlic.
• Salt: use a quality salt, I like Redmonds real salt, or Celtic sea salt. If you choose table salt, start with a little less salt to avoid over salting. Since table salt has the most sodium per weight.

Nutrition

This creamy dressing is suitable for vegans, those who require gluten free and dairy free diets. Plus, depending on your choice of greens it will also provide Vitamin A, Vitamin K, a few grams of protein, healthy fats and Vitamin C.

Dandelion greens were chosen to provide you with about 50% of your daily value of vitamin A. And, dandelion greens are prebiotics, which can help rebuild bacteria by acting like fertilizer.

What can you mix with tahini?

Tahini tastes earthy and a little bitter, it's not sweet like other nut and seed butters, but it is creamy in texture.

Here are a few suggested uses for tahini:

• Substitute dairy ingredients and make dressings, like this one!
• Try it in a smoothie, like this kid favorite smoothie.
• The classic hummus.
• Pair it with chocolate, such as in cookies or bars.

What is the difference between a dressing and a sauce?

• A dressing is thinner, and typically uncooked, like for a salad.
• A sauce is thicker, and tends to require cooking to be palatable, like a Bolognese sauce.

Tips to achieve a desirable texture

This lemon herb tahini dressing is rich and creamy, but depending on the type of herbs and greens you choose, you can end up with some coarseness.

If you choose to use denser greens like dandelion or kale, where the rib has quite a bit of girth, I would omit the rib. If you leave it in, just know you should grind/process the dressing longer to achieve a smoother texture.

Also, always start recipes out with less water, and add as you go. It's easier to add water, then to remove it!

Also, if you don't eat all of the dressing in one sitting and you need to refrigerate it, you may need to add liquid before consuming the leftovers. Begin with one tablespoon of water at a time, mix between each addition. Continue to add liquid, and mix until you achieve your desired consistency.