Looking For A New Recipe At Your Next Tailgating Party? Try Tahini!

Football season is well underway this fall, bringing die-hard fans from across the country together to eat, drink, and root for their favorite teams. While there’s nothing quite like cheering on a last-minute touchdown with thousands of other screaming fans, half of the experience of football season is the tailgating party outside the arena. Families roll up in their cars, trailers, and RVs, bringing coolers, grills, and homemade recipes. Tailgating parties are a lot of things, but at their core, they’re a time to enjoy good food with loved ones (even if they’re rooting for the other team).

Each tailgating party is a new chance to try out fun, exciting recipes for family and friends. Some staples like freshly grilled hotdogs and burgers never go out of style, but plenty of people take on the challenge of bringing bold, interesting new flavors to the table. One secret ingredient is making waves this tailgate season as a versatile, flavorful ingredient that can transform any recipe in an instant: tahini.

A thick paste made from ground sesame seeds, tahini is an oily, flavorful sauce often used in many Middle Eastern cuisines. But this creamy, nutrient-dense superfood is quickly finding its way into all sorts of recipes from hummus to soups to even chocolate chip cookies. Versatile, tasty, and packed with nutrition, tahini is the perfect secret ingredient to add to any tailgating recipe.

“Many people don’t think of tahini beyond its use in Mediterranean dishes,” says Laura Morris, Marketing Director of Mighty Sesame Co. “Our creamy, ready-to-use Mighty Sesame Co. Tahini is going to be the new secret ingredient for all your favorite foods. The possibilities are boundless; you’re only limited by your own imagination.”

Homemade tahini is often messy and hard to transport, as the oil separation requires a lot of messy stirring to keep things uniform. Mighty Sesame tahini comes in a squeezable bottle, eliminating the need for stirring and making it an easy addition to any tailgating recipe. Made from high-quality sesame seeds, Mighty Sesame tahini is loaded with protein and calcium while remaining free from gluten, dairy, and animal products. Not only is it a great way to add some extra flavor to a meal, but it can easily be used as a healthy alternative to butter or mayonnaise.

Chefs all over the world are experimenting with tahini to create rich, innovative new recipes that feature the ingredient in all sorts of new and exciting ways. One such chef is celebrity Chef George Duran, best known for his Food Network Show Ham on the Street and his role hosting TLC’s Ultimate Cake Off. Chef Duran is known for his easy-to-make recipes that combine flavors in unexpected ways.

“I love Mighty Sesame Tahini and have found incredible ways to use it in a variety of recipes from sauces to dips to interesting sandwiches,” says Chef Duran. “I love the healthy benefits of the Tahini over other sauces and dips.”

One of his recipes includes Mighty Hummus, a delicious combination of garbanzo beans, olive oil, and Mighty Sesame tahini that serves as the perfect spread for toast, crackers, and veggies.

Mighty Hummus Recipe

by Chef George Duran

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. cans of garbanzo beans3 Tblsp. lemon juice1/4 C. water3 Tblsp. olive oil1/2 C. Mighty Sesame tahini1 cubes of Dorot Gardens Garlic1/2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. cuminExtra virgin olive oil and chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

Rinse and drain cans of garbanzo and set aside.

Mix tougher lemon juice and water and set aside. Whisk together tahini and oil and set aside.

In a food processor, process garbanzo means with Dorot Gardens garlic, salt and cumin until chunky. Then add lemon mixture and process until somewhat smooth. As the machine runs, add olive oil and tahini mixture until smooth, scraping bowl as needed.

Adjust seasoning and lemon as wanted and serve in a dish, garnishing with extra virgin olive oil and chopped parsley.

Makes about 2 cups of hummus

Simple to make and easily scalable to feed large crowds, Mighty Hummus is just one example of how Mighty Sesame tahini can turn a bland pregame meal into a yearly tradition. The delicious recipe is a great example of tahini’s versatility, as it can easily be paired with a variety of fresh herbs, vegetables, and legumes to bring out the different flavors of each ingredient.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with tahini this tailgating season–it might even lead to a new family recipe! Whether one takes inspiration from Chef Duran or decides to chart their own course, tahini is a surefire way to make any tailgating party a memorable one.