Roasted Tahini and Onion & Thyme Jam

These two condiments are on my "always-have-in-the-fridge" list lately because they are uber tasty, convenient, and I know what's in them. So many commercial products are packed with unnatural additives that I don't really want to put in my body, so it feels great using something that I know is clean and natural.

Both the tahini and onion jam are incredibly versatile and are wonderful to add to savoury rice dishes, soups, to drizzle over roast vegetables, or even to spread on toast for a quick snack. I sometimes even heat the tahini with a little xylitol to make a halva type sauce to use over my homemade ice cream.

Also, with the Festive Season approaching, these make adorable gifts for family and friends. Go on, give a vegan gift and spread the deliciousness!

For the Roasted Tahini

Ingredients:

250g sesame seeds
1 - 1 1/2 cups olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C. Place the sesame seeds evenly on a large oven tray and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. When they are golden brown (keep an eye on them so that they don't burn), remove the tray and allow to cool.

Pour the seeds into a blender and add enough olive oil to almost cover the seeds. Blend at high speed until it forms a runny-ish paste, adding more olive oil to get it moving if necessary. Your blender might struggle a little, I blend mine in intervals and use a spoon to scrape the sides in between.

Store in a clean glass jar in the fridge. Should last for at least two weeks, if you can manage to not eat it for that long.

For the Onion and Thyme Jam

Ingredients:

4 large white onions
1 small beetroot
4 tbs olive oil
20g fresh Thyme
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup brown sugar or xylitol
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 generous pinches Himalayan salt

Peel the onions and cut in half, and then into thin slices. Place in a large pot with the olive oil salt. Stir thoroughly so that the onions are all coated in oil before heating. Cook on medium heat with the lid on, stirring every few minutes until the onions are translucent - approx 20 minutes. They shouldn't turn brown, so make sure the heat is not too high.

Tip: When cooking onions, adding salt helps to draw the liquids out, making them go soft and translucent more quickly. 

Add the thyme, sugar, vinegar and currants and mix. Peel the  beetroot, cut into quarters and add to the pot. The beetroot is just for colour and will be removed later. Using purple onions would have the same effect, but I only had white onions in the house at the time.

Another tip: Picking thyme leaves can be quite tedious and finicky. I put the whole bunch into a large bowl of water and scrub it together until a lot of the leaves come off. I then take the bunch of twigs out with my hands and pour the water through a sieve to catch the little leaves. Repeat a few times until you get most of the leaves off. You may still have to strip some of the twigs to get the last leaves off, but if you don't feel like the effort, you can keep the twigs in the freezer and add them to a vegetable stock. 

Cook the jam on low heat for two hours, stirring every 10 minutes or so. It is ready when the jam is thick and sticky. Once cooled, store in a clean glass jar. This should also last about two weeks in the fridge.

Roast Chickpea and Mushroom Sweet Potato

This is my version of a hearty Sunday roast; warm, savoury and satiating. I have never roasted chickpeas before, they go a beautiful toasty brown and absorb the wonderful salty flavours of your seasoning.

1 can chickpeas in brine, drained (save the brine, next weekend I am going to try an "Aqua Faba" recipe)
1 punnet button mushrooms, sliced in quarters lengthways
2 sweet potatoes, washed and steamed
4 tbs hummus
12-16 baby plum tomatoes, sliced in halves
2-3 tbs olive oil
seasonings: Himalayan salt, black pepper, Ina Paarman's Rosemary and Olive salt, garlic powder
a few sprigs fresh oregano

Preheat your oven's top grill to 220 degrees Celsius. In an oven tray, toss your mushrooms and chickpeas in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven quite close to the top and roast for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, add a sprinkling of garlic powder, toss with a spatula and roast for a further 10-20 minutes. They should be well browned as in the image below when they are done.

Slice the steamed sweet potatoes in half lengthways (one half per portion) and spread a generous tablespoon of hummus on each half. Top with the roast chickpeas and mushrooms, as well as the fresh baby plum tomatoes. Garnish with a handful of oregano and a twist of black pepper.

Makes four meals.

Power Snack

Snacking can be tricky when you're trying to stay healthy. This energy boosting mini bowl packs plenty protein and fibre and satisfies the sweetest of sweet tooths.

1 banana, sliced
4 chopped dates
6-8 raw almonds
1 tsp chia seeds
sprinkle cinnamon

Pop all the ingredients in a bowl together and enjoy the goodness. This also makes a great 5 minute breakfast!

Persimmon Smoothie

The persimmon, or "Sharon" fruit, which is actually considered a berry, is often overlooked in the grocery isle because it is fairly unfamiliar to us in South Africa. Recently, at a food festival, I had a slice to taste and was pleasantly surprised. I was hesitant at first, imagining it would taste like a weirdly sweet tomato, but in fact it resembles more of a peach flavour and texture to me. So, I snapped up a few to play with at home.

The soft, sweet flesh of the persimmon lends itself to being blended into a creamy smoothie, so I combined it with a few of my favourite ingredients for a glass of liquid deliciousness.

Ingredients:

2 persimmon fruits
2 bananas
1 cup guava juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 handful cut spinach
1 tsp lemon juice

Remove the calyx from the top of the persimmon, and slice it in half. Using a dessert spoon, scoop out the flesh and place in your blender. The skin is also delicious to eat, I just decided not to use it in the smoothie as it is quite firm and will make the smoothie too chewy. You can use a slice of the skin to garnish your smoothie as I have, and eat the rest while you're waiting for the blender.

Add the rest of your ingredients and blend until it is smooth. Add a little water if you have too many solids and not enough liquids for blending. Pop a slice of the bright orange skin and a few mint leaves on the rim of your glass and serve. Makes enough for two smoothies.

Brocolli Stem & Baby Fennel Soup

I always feel guilty throwing out the stem of my brocolli. I know its full of goodness, but I just can't bring myself to eating that big tree trunk of green fibre. So, what better way to mask an unwanted veggie than to blend it into a smooth, tasty soup - the master of disguise.

Ingredients:

1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbs coconut oil
stems of 3 broccoli heads, chopped (I chop the florets off, rinse and keep for easy use in salads etc)
3-5 bulbs baby fennel, sliced
2 large carrots, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 litre vegetable stock
1/4 tsp salt

On a low to medium heat, saute your onions and garlic in the coconut oil. This should be done slowly so that they don't burn quickly - approximately 15 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium, add the sliced broccoli stems, fennel, carrots, salt and garam masala and continue to saute for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending with a stick blender. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and sprouts.

Note: my brilliant chef brother taught me that soups and broths are always more flavoursome when served the next day. Since soups do take a little longer to cook, I like to make them on the side while preparing a quicker meal for the night. It's a little extra effort, but means I have instant, healthy meals for the next two nights.