Turkish Tahini Granola Tart

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

One of the mainstays of Middle Eastern cuisine is tahini, a paste (butter) made from ground sesame seeds.  It is found in hummus, baba ghanouj, and halvah.  In the Nouveau Raw Kitchen, it can be found in granola!

Unopened tahini can be kept at room temperature, but once the container is opened, it should be refrigerated so that the oil from the sesame seeds does not go rancid. When you open the jar, you will notice a separation between the butter(tahini) and oil.  Stir to combine before using.

Tahini is an excellent source of copper, manganese, and the amino acid methionine. And is a great source of the healthy fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6.  It has relatively high levels of calcium and protein which make it a useful addition to vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as to raw food diets when eaten in its unroasted form. Compared to peanut butter, Tahini has higher levels of fiber and calcium and lower levels of sugar and saturated fats.  And is a great alternative for those who are allergic to nuts.

Keep in mind that different brands of tahini can taste dramatically different.  So, if you are trying it for the first time and find that you don’t care for the flavor, please try another brand.   As with most nut butters, the seeds can be roasted or not before being processed into butter.   This will also change the flavor.    For a raw version, I recommend the Artisana Raw Tahini or the Living Tree brand.  It tastes very mild, subtle, has minimal bitterness, and is creamy.  Since it is made from raw sesame seeds, its color is much lighter.

I decided to use Turkish apricots to compliment the flavor of the Tahini.  They add a bright flavor and chewy texture to the granola.  Dried Turkish apricots are darker in color and emit an earthy, sweet, peachy flavor.  Other than flavor, they add great nutrients to the granola such as iron, vitamin A, and especially potassium – in fact, many with potassium deficiencies see their blood counts leap up after adding dried apricots, dates, peaches, figs, prunes, or raisins to their diets!

Ingredients:

Yields 5 cups batter – Made 6 (4 3/4″) tartlet pans

• 2 cups (195 g) gluten-free rolled oats, soaked
• 1 cup (110 g) raw walnuts. soaked, chopped
• 1/2 cup (60 g) sunflower seeds, soaked
• 1 cup (80 g) shredded dried coconut
• 1 cup (150 g) diced, dried Turkish apricots

 

• 1/4 cup (60 g) Tahini butter
• 1/2 cup (125 g) packed Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup (112 g) almond nut milk
• 1/3 cup (53 g) raw coconut crystals
• 1 1/2 tsp (4 g) ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp (1 g) ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp (2 g) Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 g) black pepper

 Preparation:

1. Drain and rinse the walnuts; roughly chop them in the food processor or with a knife and cutting board.  Place in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Soak, drain, and rinse the oats very well.
   • Run them under cool water for about 2 minutes.
   • Hand squeeze the excess water out and add to the walnuts.
3. Add to the oats & walnuts; coconut, apricots, and sunflower seeds.  Mix together.  Set aside.
4. In the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the tahini, dates, nut milk, coconut crystals, and spices.  Process until it is creamy.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well coated.
   • If you are not keen on tahini butter, exchange it with any other nut or seed butter of your liking.
5. Firmly press the granola batter into the tartlet pans,  leveling the top off.  Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
   • Tartlet pans ~ if you don’t have any of these you can use this recipe to make loose granola, press into bars, or press into any shallow pan.
   • Black roasted sesame seeds ~ these are not raw.  You can use raw seeds and/or white ones.  Personally, I don’t like these raw; they are too bitter for me.
6. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 145 degrees (F).  Remove the granola batter from the pans carefully and place it on the mesh sheets that come with the dehydrator. Continue to dehydrate at 115 (F) degrees for 10 hours.

• Are oats gluten-free?  Yes, read more about that (here).
• Are oats raw?  Yes, they can be found.  Click (here) to learn more.
• Do I need to soak and dehydrate oats?  Not required but recommended.  Click (here) to see why.

Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan