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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Open Sesame!

Today — March 8th — is International Women's Day, so what better time to feature a totally lady-owned company behind a delicious vegan product? That product is tahini by Soom Foods, a "Philadelphia-based, certified Women-Owned company started by three hard-working sisters who love to eat and value health and quality."

Soom shipped me two jars of their tahini products to sample and review. There's a single-sourced origin Sesame Tahini and a Chocolate Sesame Spread. 



I freakin' love tahini, but I'm quite picky about my spread. So many brands (which shall remain nameless) separate into a thick, hard paste with a ton of oil on top. With those brands, stirring is next to impossible, and I typically end up dumping the entire jar in my Vitamix to blend. It's a messy process. But not so with Soom Foods Tahini. I was immediately impressed with the straight-out-of-the-jar creaminess factor. No stirring necessary.


Of course, the regular tahini spread is most versatile, but I was most excited to try the Chocolate Sesame Spread because I'd never heard of such a thing. But it's such a genius idea. It's made with sesame seeds, cocoa, and powdered sugar. That's it! I've tried it in my oats (no pics because my oats weren't so pretty) and on locally made Sesame-topped Dave's Bagels with Fresh Strawberry Slices. What a perfect breakfast!


I also had some on a Lacy Davis-inspired Tahini Banana Snack this afternoon before my yoga class. Banana slices, chocolate sesame spread, trail mix (walnuts, almonds, pepitas, goji berries, & raisins), and hemp seeds. This powered me through an hour-long class until I could eat a proper dinner at Imagine Vegan Cafe.


As for the plain tahini, it's great on waffles, bagels, blended into homemade hummus, stirred into sweet or savory oats, or drizzled over grain/green/bean bowls. It's also fab on this delicious Baked Sweet Potato with Greens and Baked Tofu (another Lacy Davis-inspired meal -- this was a "one rep snax" suggestion from one of her recent Rise & Resist podcasts).


Baked Sweet Potato with Greens and Baked Tofu
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Yields 2 servings

2 large sweet potatoes
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped, leaves torn 
1 clove garlic, minced
Soy sauce to taste
1 package baked tofu (I used Wildwood Teriyaki Tofu)
2 Tbsp. tahini

Cover the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and bake on 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until they're easily pierced with a fork.

While the potatoes are baking, fill the bottom of a large skillet with enough water to cover. Bring to heat over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and saute for one minute. Add the chopped stems, and saute for about 5 minutes or until slightly tender. Add the torn leaves, and saute until they begin to wilt. Add soy sauce to taste.

Meanwhile, cube the baked tofu and saute in a skillet with a little non-stick cooking spray until heated through.

Split each potato down the center and lightly mash the insides with a fork. Top each with half the chard and half the tofu. Drizzle each with 1 Tbsp of tahini.

6 comments:

  1. That tahini looks great! I have a real issue with the super hard and oily stuff myself. It's so frustrating!
    I saw your bagel with chocolate tahini spread on Instagram and was so curious as I have never heard of chocolate tahini! It sounds so delicious!

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  2. Oh! That all looks amazing! I need to try more sweet potato creative toppings and dishes!!!! YUM!

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  3. I saw the bagel with chocolate tahini on Instagram and immediately knew I had to check it out! I'm going to have to order some of the chocolate tahini because that sounds amazing! I bet it would be perfect on oatmeal and delicious on waffles too!

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  4. The restaurant I use to work at (Animo- in south jersey and philadelphia) serves the chocolate tahini on their frozen banana whip (aka nice cream) IT IS AMAZING! We started that I think 2 years ago, so it is nice to see the brand expanding!

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  5. Soom tahini is the best! It's a little more expensive than the organic tahini I used to buy, but so worth it for all of the reasons you mentioned. Plus, it's just delicious! I haven't tried the chocolate spread yet, but it sounds really good.

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  6. After having the most amazing hummus ever at Dizengoff (same owners and recipe as at Zahav) i had to make the recipe when i found it- which specifically uses Soom. I tracked it down and it's absolutely superior to other tahini with the most amazing texture. Here's the recipe, it's the only one i use now
    https://food52.com/recipes/42695-zahav-s-hummus-tehina
    Ttrockwood

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