Homemade Tahini Sauce

While shopping for some new foods to try that were healthy and didn’t cost an arm and leg, I came across some Boca Brand Falafels. What are Falafel? . 

They are a middle eastern food made with Garbanzo Beans AKA Chick Peas. They are sort of dry and have an earthy taste. You can learn more HERE. 

I had them once at a restaurant uptown but did not like them so much. I also had no idea what I was really eating. After I learned what they were made of, I wanted to try them again. So I bought a bag from the frozen foods and poured them into my air fryer. 

But I needed a sauce. Falafel are good dipped in cucumber sauce or Tahini Sauce. 

What is Tahini? Don’t worry, I never heard of it until now either. 

Tahini is a thick paste made from sesame seeds. Once you have Tahini paste, you make the Tahini sauce. You can find Tahini paste in most grocery stores but here on the West side of town, It was not found. That's when I decided to make my own. It was easy and way less expensive. 

Homemade Tahini Sauce

1 cup sesame seeds

4 tablespoons Olive oil.

Directions: Add sesame seeds to sauce pan and stir until to desired brown. 

They will brown quickly so make sure to keep an eye on them. 

Remove from heat and let cool for a minute or two .

Place seeds in food processor and grind until fine.

Add the oil a little at a time and keep blending until it becomes a soft paste. 

You may not need all the oil but I did.

Now you have your paste.You can keep it in the fridge over a month until ready to use.

To make the sauce, just add 

lime juice (1/2 lime should be enough).

Salt and pepper.
1 minced garlic clove

 1/2 cup yogurt.

You can adjust the thickness to your liking by adding more yogurt, or water.

There you have it. A nice little creamy dip that can be used for veggies, on salads, sandwiches, Falafels and more.

Tahini sauce reminds me a lot of Hummus.
NOTE: You can make the sauce without adding yogurt for a more vegan style.

Next time I make Falafels, I plan to make a cucumber sauce dip instead.

I'm always open for ideas if anyone has a great idea for a dip or side to go with Falafels. 

Let Me Tell you About My Mom

Happy Mothers Day to all you Mothers out there!

Let me tell you a little about my Mother.

She is the best mom I could have ever asked for. There were times in my life that I didn't let her know this enough. Growing up as a teenager, to hear her tell it, I was a struggle. Now, days it makes me sick to think of how rebellious I was at times. There are may occasions I wish I would have listened to her more. Being a mother now myself, I know how she must have worried and stressed all the time.

In a Christian home, she raised four children of her own and was a foster Mother of several others. She was so strong and I'm sure we kept her busy. She was our hair dresser, our tailor and chef. Momma did it all. She was tough, kept us straight, gave us plenty of spankings and put the meaning of grounded in the dictionary.

We didn't have cell phones back then. Didn't need one. When she called for us to come home, It was from the screen door. And we heard her from across the neighborhood. If we didn't, someone did and would send for us. Our collie dog stayed with us and would also let us know when mom was calling.

But momma was loving. She gave the best hugs and was the best at fixing boo boos and showing us how to do things on our own. She always gave the best advice and the most simplest advice she gives is when she says "Just pray about it". She always made sure we had nice clothes to wear to church and school. She is a wonderful seamstress and made most of our clothes. It was always exciting to go to the cloth store with her. She would let us pick our own pattern and a fabric.

Now I find myself just like her in a lot of ways. I even think I look like her and that makes me happy. I still call on her when I need an answer to something or little does she know, I sometimes just need to hear her voice. There are times like when I change the bed sheets, I remember how she used to tell me to do top corner to bottom corner. When I fold towels, I do it just the same as she taught me. Even the little things like, putting a paper towel on top of the lettuce when saving it, how to tie a sash or how to tie a knot at the end of my thread by rolling it between my fingers. Something every day makes me think about her. Often I wonder if she misses me when I'm not around like I miss my daughter when shes not around. I bet she does. ha!

My daughter is home this weekend and we have been having fun. We will go to church for a nice service and honer our Moms, then we will come back home to rest and maybe bake something. My daughter always likes to bake. Later we will be taking Mom out to eat to one of her favorite restaurants. 

I plan to celebrate many more Mothers Days with her.

I love her and feel so blessed.