tahini

Artichoke Poppers with Tahini Dip

/ ktbuchs87

I pretty much came up with this recipe because I had a few leftover artichoke hearts that I needed to use.  I didn’t have enough to make a big recipe like Spinach Artichoke Lasagna, but I had enough that I wanted to put them to good use.

Plus I needed an excuse to eat more of this tahini dip.  Dip > whatever I’m dipping. Artichoke Poppers with Tahini Dip | Life Healthfully Lived Continue reading →

Tahini & Banana Cream Breakfast Bars

/ ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Ever since I made these oatmeal bars back in January, they have been a part of my weekly meal prep for Adam.  It’s just much simpler to make a batch of these bars once a week than to sit there and make a bowl of oatmeal each morning.  This way, Adam can get his breakfast together fast and get out the door even faster.

Now, while I’ve made oatmeal bars every week, I haven’t made them the exact same way each time.  Because I like to experiment and because sometimes I’m not so good at checking what ingredients I have BEFORE making something and have to improvise.

This recipe is an improvised version of the original. Tahini & Banana Cream Breakfast Bars | Life Healthfully Lived Continue reading →

DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush

/ ktbuchs87

Ok, before making this recipe I had never had baba ganoush.  In fact, I didn’t even really know what baba ganoush was and the only reason I thought about it was because of the movie Wedding Crashers.  Yes, the movie with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.  It’s one of my sister’s and my favorite movies and it’s awesome and if you’ve never seen do it now.

Well, in the movie Owen Wilson’s character affectionately calls Vince Vaughn’s character “Baba Ganoush”.  So the other day I was randomly thinking about the movies and I decided to figure out what baba ganoush meant and when I saw that it was an eggplant and tahini spread I decided I needed to make it for myself.DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

Yes, this is how my brain works.

I really love how light and simple this dip is and it’s amazing on chips (particularly pita), cut up vegetables, and while I haven’t tried it yet I bet it would be good spread on fish or chicken.  You could buy baba ganoush at the store but the kind I found had odd ingredients and was way more expensive and why buy it when you can easily make it?DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

While this dip won’t replace hummus (hummus love forever yo) it is a new fun dip!

Baba GanoushDIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

  • 1 medium sized eggplant
  • half a lemon
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, roasted
  • 2 tbsp tahini*
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped or 1 tsp dried parsley
  • roasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional
  1. Preheat oven to 400 and prepare a large baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
  2. Wash and rinse the eggplant really well and poke it all over with a fork.  Place it on the baking sheet.  Take 4 cloves of peeled garlic and wrap them in a little foil pouch with a little olive oil and salt and place the pouch on the pan with the eggplant.
  3. Roast the eggplant until it’s soft and starting to collapse rotating it halfway through. About 30 to 35 minutes.  Roast the garlic for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Once the eggplant and garlic are done roasting, let them cool until you can easily handle the eggplant.  Slice in half and scoop out the flesh and place it into the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients, except the sesame seeds.
  5. Process until it’s smooth.  Scoop into a bowl and if you’re serving right away top with toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of olive oil.

* I also tried this with almond butter and it worked just fine but I like the flavor tahini adds. Use whatever you like and have on hand.DIY Wednesday: Baba Ganoush | Life Healthfully Lived

DIY Wednesday: Basil Salad Dressing

/ ktbuchs87 / 3 Comments

FriendsDIY Wednesday: Basil Salad Dressing | Life Healthfully Lived, I’m ready to admit something.

I’m kind of having a love affair with basil.   I know, I know.  It’s just a summer fling, but I can’t get enough of the stuff.  It smells so good, looks so pretty, and tastes phenomenal.  Even better, it makes any food I put in my mouth taste phenomenal.

I got into the fresh basil game a little late this summer because for most of the summer we were gone every weekend and I couldn’t get to the farmer’s market and I was not going to pay over $3 for the tiny little packages at the store.  But this past month we have made it to the market and one stand there sells fresh herbs of all kind and I can get a whole bunch of basil for $2.  Naturally I load up on it and come home and make all the basil things.

Besides the obvious pesto (which I have like 3 jars of right now) I have been making basil and lemon oil, and this dressing.  I have swooned about this dressing a few times over on Instagram so  I thought that I would share it with you guys.DIY Wednesday: Basil Salad Dressing | Life Healthfully Lived

I’ve talked about making your own salad dressing before and I think it’s the best money and health saving switch you can make.  Making your own salad dressing is SO simple and you get to control the ingredients.  Store bought dressing is full of preservatives and you’re paying a lot of money to ingest those things.

So why not make your own?  This literally comes together in the touch of a blender button and BAM, you have a delicious, basil-filled dressing ready to go on salad, over vegetables, or straight into your mouth with a straw.  Which I’ve never done…

Basil Salad DressingDIY Wednesday: Basil Salad Dressing | Life Healthfully Lived

  • 1 cup loosely packed, whole basil leaves
  • 2 tsp roasted garlic or 2 cloves fresh garlic
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (you could also use almond milk)
  • juice of half a lime
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  1. Ready for this?  Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week…. if it lasts that long.

I love one step recipes almost as much as I love basil.  See how easy it is to make dressing?  You can even switch up the herbs you do and use parsley, dill, or cilantro.  Whatever your little heart desires! DIY Wednesday: Basil Salad Dressing | Life Healthfully Lived

Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake

/ ktbuchs87

ITahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake | Life Healthfully Lived have been all about the tahini lately.  I have been finding ways to put it on everything and I have not been disappointed.  Most of us only know tahini as an ingredient in hummus.  It helps give it that nice creamy, earthy flavor.  While hummus is delicious, tahini deserves to be more than just an ingredient in a popular dip.

It is awesome in baked goods, drizzled over pancakes or roasted plantains, and it turns any homemade dressing into creamy delicious lick the bottom of the bowl good.  The fact that it turns things creamy is one of my favorite things.

I like creamy, creamy is good, but sadly people only associate creamy with cheese or other dairy products.    I’m going to change your mind one tahini filled recipe at a time. Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake | Life Healthfully Lived

This one is really easy to make and is a great way to use up the surplus of zucchini and other summer vegetables I’m sure are crowding your fridge.  I also like this one because it can be made the night before and then just popped into the oven and it’s done.  That’s actually what I did when I made this last weekend and it worked beautifully.

The sauce I made for this vegetable bake would also be awesome as a dip or slathered on wings or ribs or burgers or a spoon…. You get the idea.  Go grab all the summer vegetables you have, whip up this sauce, and throw together this yummy dish!

Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake

Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake | Life Healthfully Lived

Tahini BBQ Sauce-

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2 tbsp homemade ketchup (or the best you can find/afford at the store)
  • 1 tsp molasses
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika (make sure it’s smoked)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth and well combined

Vegetable Bake-

  • 1 batch of tahini BBQ sauce
  • 1 zucchini, sliced and diced
  • 1 summer squash, sliced and diced
  • 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (or whatever bean you have on hand)
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  1. If you want/have the time, roast the zucchini and summer squash.  You don’t have to, but it adds a nice flavor to the dish.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 400 for 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the zucchini and squash, turn the oven to 375 and place the roasted vegetables into a large bowl.
  3. Add the corn, onion, garbanzo beans, and stir everything to combine.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper and stir again.
  4. Add in all the tahini BBQ sauce and stir everything making sure the sauce is coating all of the vegetables and beans.
  5. Transfer everything to a large casserole dish.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Take off the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake | Life Healthfully Lived