Homemade Sunbutter

We've been avoiding peanuts and tree nuts in our house for almost 2 years since finding out about our son's allergy. The one thing that I was the saddest to part with was peanut butter.

An easy replacement for peanut butter is sunbutter (it does taste different...so it's not an exact replacement). The jars at the store are expensive, so for awhile now I've been making my own.

Even if you don't have a peanut allergy in the house, I'd still encourage you to try making this. It's a delicious addition to a snack. It goes well with apples, bananas, celery, crackers, toast (with or without jelly), and of course a sunbutter and jelly sandwich.

When I make a batch of this, it doesn't last long because my kids just eat it up!

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When I first started making this, I was going off of this recipe. I've adapted the proportions a bit, so I'm going to re-post it according to how I make it.

I buy my sunflower seeds from our local shop that sells mostly dried goods (The Pantry Shoppe). I buy them shelled and unsalted.

Also, all the recipes I've come across use a food processor for making sunbutter. If you make it in a blender and it works, comment and let us know.

Sunbutter

2 cups sunflower seeds (shelled and unsalted)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp olive oil

Toast the seeds:

Spread the sunflower seeds out onto a large baking sheet. Bake them in the oven at 275 for 20-25 minutes (you don't want them too toasted, or they will dry out too much). Let the seeds cool completely.

10 Minutes in the Food Processor:

Combine the seeds and salt in the food processor. Let it run for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides down as needed.

At this point, the oils in the seeds have started to come out and it gets thicker and moister. Now add in the honey.

Let it go longer, continuing to stop and mix it up if it builds up on the sides. After about 7 to 9 minutes from when you started, add in the olive oil. Let it run for another 2 or 3 minutes. It should be really creamy.

Store in a container in the fridge. It will thicken a little, but it shouldn't get completely solid (should still be spreadable).

Tahini

Our half-used jar of Tahini

Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, usually found in Middle Eastern dishes. It's very nutritious and can be used in a lot of ways.

From MindBodyGreen, here are
10 Reasons to Eat Tahini:

1. It’s rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron. 
2. It's a good source of Methionine, which aids in liver detoxification. 
3. It’s one of the best sources of calcium out there. 
4. It’s high in vitamin E and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15. 
5. Helps to promote healthy cell growth. 
6. Prevent anemia. 
7. Helps to maintain healthy skin and muscle tone. 
8. It has 20% complete protein, making it a higher protein source than most nuts. 
9. It's easy for your body to digest because of its high alkaline mineral content, which is great for assisting in weight loss. 
10. It is high in unsaturated fat (good fat!)

Here's what it says on our bottle of Tahini:

High in protein and other nutrients, it is a flavorful base for appetizer spreads, a topping for pasta or falafel, or an ingredient in soups and salad dressings. Tahini is also ideal for desserts and confections such as halva.

We've been using our jar to make hummus and salad dressing. I thought I'd share these delicious recipes...

(just to be aware, the jar is expensive...around $7. But you'll certainly get a lot of use out of it.)

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Homemade hummus on a yellow pepper

Hummus

(original recipe is from allrecipes.com: Hummus...this is very well reviewed. We modified it only slightly)

2 cups canned chickpeas (or cooked chickpeas*)
1/3 cup tahini
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 cloves of garlic (or a sprinkle of garlic power)
1 tsp salt
sprinkle of paprika
1/4 cup olive oil 

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except olive oil. As it's mixing, slowly pour in the olive oil until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

*Instead of a can, buy some dried chickpeas (much more cost effective and no added salt). Soak them in water overnight, boil them in water for about 45 minutes. 

Easy Ways to Spice Up Hummus 

Hummus is great with veggies (like carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, celery), bread, crackers and chips.

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Tahini Salad Dressing

(idea based off of a Rachael Ray recipe...but drastically simplified)

1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbsp soy sauce
drizzle of vegetable oil
sprinkle of lemon juice
sprinkle of white sugar

Mix together. Easily double or triple to keep on hand in the fridge.

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Broccoli and Cabbage Salad

Mix together:

- fresh broccoli
- red cabbage
- sesame seeds

(cashews and/or raisins would also be good)

Top with Tahini Dressing listed above.

DIY: Caesar Dressing

With our pizza last night (topped with pineapple, roasted broccoli and onion), we had a side salad. The dressing I can't take credit for. Sean altered this recipe and came up with his own version of this delicious Caesar dressing.

Homemade Caesar dressing on Romain lettuce,
topped with Parmesan cheese

Caesar Dressing

2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2-4 cloves of fresh garlic
1-3 tsp lemon juice
up to 1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper

*amounts are approximate because Sean often doesn't measure when he cooks. Use the ranges to add more or less of the flavors that you like.

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except the olive oil. As it's blending, slowly drizzle the olive oil through the hole in the top of the lid.

DIY: An alternative to Ranch dressing

I've been thinking the past several days that I need to find an easy make-at-home recipe for dipping sauce. Erin and Noah love cut-up carrots, but they will only eat them with Ranch dressing. And that's also the case with cut-up pieces of chicken, cut-up bean burger patties...basically anything that can be dipped.

So to have something on hand that's less expensive (and probably healthier...I counted 19 ingredients in our Ranch), I did a quick Google search for a creamy dipping sauce. Here's one I found, which I modified slightly:

Creamy Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup Mayo
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. White Vinegar

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I tasted it with a carrot, and it's delicious. I could also see this being yummy on a salad. I'm not sure if it's drastically healthier than Ranch - since it still has fat and sugar in it - but at least I've cut back on the number of ingredients (my mayo has 7 and my dijon mustard has 6) and I made it fresh myself!