HALVA SPREAD

happy spring!!!! yayayayay!!!!!

things i'm excited for this spring:

-moving to the farmhouse

-turning a quarter of a century old

-being able to drive a rental car

-experiencing my first planting season

-getting my chickies

-naming my chickies

-petting my chickies

-watching game of thrones with my chickies

-waddling around with my chickies

-ramps

i thought winter was the greatest season ever, but now i think spring is going to be the greatest season ever. (i don't know, i also sometimes think fall and summer are the greatest seasons ever, too.) either way, let's kick it off in a sweet way with sweet tahini spread, aka halva spread! this comes as the result of being 1,500 miles away from brooklyn sesame, a trillion miles away from israel (where apparently this is super common), and after having had some major halva failures. major halva failures. while this spread comes in a different form than your typical fudge-like halva, it's just as yummy and making it won't cause you to feel like a big fat failure.

you can make this spread in the time it takes your coffee to brew, and you can eat it on toast, mixed into yogurt, with a spoon, or however else you please. you can also flavor it with a pinch of cinnamon, a splash of vanilla or almond extract, some cocoa powder or chocolate, or toasted nuts for a crunchy variety.

it's basically peanut butter's fancy schmancy cousin. 

halva spread

makes 1 1/4 cups, but can easily be halved, doubled, etc.

ingredients

1 cup tahini (i prefer ziyad brand, but other brands will work too)

1/4 cup honey

a  good pinch of kosher salt

optional: additional flavorings like cinnamon, vanilla, almond, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, toasted nuts

-yeh!

clues

mix all of the ingredients well. if your tahini is pretty thick and pasty, add flavorless oil (like vegetable oil) bit by bit until it gets creamy. 

taste, and adjust as desired. 

store in the fridge. 

recipe: sesame sauce

mum has been making this sauce for sesame noodles since i was a little nugget {long before i even liked anything that wasn't mac and cheese}. now a little ramekin of those sesame noodles, garnished with scallions, regularly accompanies her to the airport to pick me up whenever i fly home. they are so comforting and saucy and delicious, and really good cold in the middle of the night if you happen to be wandering around the kitchen with a fork...

last week a stroke of gluten-freeness came over me and i put this sauce on roasted brussels sprouts and they were sooooooo goood. i've been making them every day since for at least two meals. 

when i gchatted mum to tell her my discovery she responded with something to the effect of, "oh yeah obviously. i've been putting that sauce on vegetables for years."

thaaaaankkkksssss maaaaaaa.

anyway i kind of want to slather this sauce on everything that comes out of my kitchen but first i have to track down where a sista buys tahini in bulk.

notes about the recipe: if you're making a full box of noodles, double the sauce. if you're making this for vegans, brown sugar is a great substitute for the honey.

-yeh!