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healthy recipes, cooking technique + other practices for a life of vibrant energy.

working with tahini + a lemon mint dressing recipe

8/31/2017

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Working with tahini is an act of faith and perseverance. You must be able to hold fast to your conviction that everything will turn out fine. ​

When it's fresh, sesame seed butter is smooth and a bit runny. That can deceive you into believing that making a sauce with it will be a breeze. (Not-so fresh tahini can be dry and clumpy, like the last bit of peanut butter at the bottom of the jar. It will require extra patience.)
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Jumping into the process of working with tahini will teach you things about yourself. Are you willing to keep going towards your destination or will you throw up your hands, give up? Will you cry and perceive yourself as a failure? Or will you declare yourself as capable as centuries of cooks who have made it through, and persevere?
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​Tahini is bitter on its own; so most recipes are going to call for the addition of water, citrus juice or oil. But when tahini meets liquid, it typically seizes up... appears to break.... becomes something scary, nothing like the lusciousness it was moments before. 
Heed my advice: keep whisking. Don't take no for an answer. 
Add a bit more of your liquid. Whisk some more. And watch the clumpy mess return to its former smooth self.
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When working with tahini, always take the liberty to add more water or other liquid than the recipe calls for, but go slowly. Add a little at a time and then whisk. You get to decide how thin you want the sauce to be.

Arab-inspired Prana Bowl
The recipe below is a traditional Arabic tahini sauce that is often added to a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes or cooked chic peas. It can also be used to dress greens on a salad; like the Prana lunch bowl pictured below. To assemble the Prana Bowl: smear
some hummus on the plate and throw in some cooked chic peas, dried figs or dates, cucumbers and tomatoes. Toss the creamy lemon mint dressing with fresh kale and/ or lettuce and pile the dressed greens in the middle. Some toasted pine nuts and zatar or sumac sprinkled on top would elevate the Middle Eastern vibe.
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THE RECIPE
Serves 4 to 6

1 cup tahini
1 cup warm water
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (mint, cilantro etc )

In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the tahini. Slowly whisk in the water, continually whisking until the tahini has returned to a smooth consistency. Whisk in the other ingredients. Taste and adjust any of the seasonings as you like. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. 
Click here to print or download the Tahini Lemon Mint Dressing recipe
File Size: 44 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Product recommendation: organic tahini

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The four radiant jewels: a raw mixed berry sorbet

7/4/2017

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​Pushing past June beetles and prickly stems, berry picking is done of love, a tedious process. One in the mouth, one for the basket.  As it should be.  Just like that, no washing.
 
It’s a crime to eat fresh berries any other way but unaffected, straight out of the garden. 
 
But should an abundance of summer berries become your windfall, a sorbet is a preparation that will render a juicy, tongue stained pardon from the judge.
 
Any combination of the four radiant jewels – raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or strawberries – will work here.  The beauty of this method is that it leaves the berries in their raw state, conserving their glow bestowing nutrients in a fun, chilly way.  
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​The presentation can be altered to please you: a classic sorbet scooped into beautiful glass dishes or frozen in any size and shape of Popsicle mold.  And truth be told, the base for the sorbet could be shaken with ice and your favorite spirit and then strained into a martini glass. It’s summer. All things are possible.
 
Any discussion of a berry recipe brings up the issue of seeds, which inspires all kinds of reactions.  Yes, the seeds are such an important part of the nutritious profile of berries.  Especially the ones with hardier seeds: the blackberry and raspberry.  Some feel strongly that it is wasteful and irresponsible to strain them out.  But others aren’t able to get past the granulated mouth feel the seeds contribute to an otherwise smooth experience.  This recipe suggests a compromise. But please skip the straining step if you feel it best.
 
If you are missing one or more type of berry, substitute more of another.  Any single variety can stand alone in this recipe as well. And don’t get too caught up with the measurements. More or less of this or that berry is okay.
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The seeds are going to be strained from the blackberries and raspberries, so start by blending them together.  In a blender process the blackberries and raspberries until they are a smooth puree.  If your blender stalls and won’t process the fibrous berries, add one tablespoon of cold water at a time until the blades get moving.
 
Pass the puree through a fine mesh strainer into a mixing bowl, pushing out all of the fruit liquid and leaving the seeds behind.  Discard the seeds and set the puree aside while you move on to the other berries.
 
Give your blender a quick rinse and put in the strawberries and blueberries. At this point, add the ginger as well.  Again, process until smooth.  Without straining these berries, add them to the blackberry – raspberry mixture.
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​Whisk in the lemon zest and lemon juice, the vanilla and seeds, if using and then on to the sweetener. Agave is recommended, but honey would be fine too.
 
The sweetness of a berry is unpredictable. That’s part of its charm. Something that looks so juicy can fool. So begin with the least amount of agave. Then taste. Add more sweetener to your satisfaction. With high citrus and warm vanilla, this sorbet can stand without being overly sweet. Follow your palate.
 
Choose your medium: a commercial ice cream maker to process the berries into a sorbet or Popsicle molds.  Or, with spiced rum…..
 
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The Recipe
2 cups each of strawberries (capped and quartered), blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. If you are missing any of the four, add more of the others
One quarter inch of fresh ginger, peeled

​One quarter to half a cup raw, organic agave
One whole lemon, zested and then cut in half
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
One quarter inch vanilla pod scraped of seeds, optional
 
Process all of the ingredients, except the vanilla seeds and lemon zest,  together in a blender. Strain out the seeds, if you desire. Then add in the vanilla seeds and lemon zest. Taste and add more agave if you like.
 
Freeze in a commercial ice cream machine per the manufacturer’s directions or pour into popsicle molds.  
Click here to print or download the recipe
File Size: 21 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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    Author

    prana is the common thread running through everything i love....the sun on my face...the sunlight through my camera.... breathing the ocean air... the sound of my breath...laughing with family + friends.
    but most of all....fresh, vibrant food! 
    ​

    ​with love,
    rhona
    _________________
    click here to read more about my obsession with prana....


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