Lemon Date Tahini: dressing, sauce, spread, mousse. VG and GF

We have a few dressings we make at home as we do not buy store-bought ones. One does not need many. My sons love this one. As you will see: Is it a dressing, a sauce, or a mousse? You decide. For my sons, it is all of them, and my older one will quietly help himself to a little bowl as a break from work. He really wanted the recipe!

I have not used any olive oil as we really like the pure sesame flavor. And it already has a smooth, velvety, rich mouth-feel.

I hope readers who are unfamiliar with vegan, vegetarian, plant-based diets can see through the recipes here that this food can be truly delicious, easy, and economical. Those raised on meat-based diets are understandably at a loss about putting together a well-balanced plant-based meal.

Plant-based meals are now proven to be far better for health, can be very economical, and are good for the planet. It is super easy and quick to put together with minimal washing and prep.

Pairing

1. Green salad—think romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, chickpeas—summer. VG. GF.

2. Falafel and green salad. VG. GF. Add pita and milk for a full meal.

3. Veggie burgers or falafel burgers. Can be VG and GF.

4. Grain bowls (quinoa or brown rice, lentils, cooked beets, arugula, coarsely grated carrots, honey lemon tahini, pickled jalapeños or red chili). Makes a full meal. Cook ahead brown rice or quinoa and lentils—can have both pots going on at the same time. Buy cooked beets or steam them in the InstantPot along with a container of any bean or dal. You can have the grain bowl for lunches or dinners for 3 days with some variations. VG. GF.

5. Oranges and roasted or steamed beets (perhaps a little feta on top), or just the beets with tahini. VG. GF.

6. Roasted root vegetables such as a mixture of parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots (winter). VG. GF.

7. Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. VG. GF.

8. Drizzled over chickpeas, or Indian style kidney beans (rajma), or bean chili (instead of sour cream and cheese). Makes a complete meal with salad and milk. VG. GF.

9. As a mousse. The dressing becomes quite thick and mousse-like in the fridge. A little scoop makes a simple and delicious “dessert”. Get some sesame chikki (brittle) from an Indian grocery store or online and crush some pieces to scatter over the mousse. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses. VG. GF.

10. Drizzled over stoned summer fruit and pomegranate seeds. For an extra oomph drizzle some pomegranate molasses.VG. GF.

11. Use it as a spread for crostini—pairs well with thinly sliced roasted root vegetables, cucumbers and tomatoes with shredded mint and parsley. Add a store-bought soup to make a complete meal with a glass of milk. VG. Use GF bread.

Ingredients

1 cup tahini/sesame paste

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water (how thick or thin you like it and how thick or runny your tahini brand is)

Zest of a lemon

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1-3 lemons depending on size and juiciness)

3 small finely chopped pitted dates (or 2 medjool dates)

1/3 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:

Blend everything on high speed or ice-crush setting in a blender till completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.

Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. The mixture becomes very thick as it sits in the fridge. Thin it as much as you like with water, or water with lemon juice and a bit of olive oil. If I am drizzling it over beet and orange salad with shredded romaine (arugula, spinach), I dilute it with the juice from the supremed (cutting out the orange segments) oranges. Runny is not the best as it will dilute the flavor and not adhere to other food.

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

Makes about 3 cups