5 Reasons to Eat More Tahini and 10 Recipes to Try 

Wandering through the shuk (market) in Israel you are likely to frequently encounter a beige paste. You might see it sold on its own, and as the primary ingredient in halva, hummus, and baba ganoush. It's tahini, a paste made out of ground sesame seeds that is not only versatile and appropriate for recipes both sweet and savory, but it is a great source of numerous health benefits.

Since tahini is a staple in Israeli cuisine, in honor of Israeli Independence Day, we present a list of reasons you'll want to incorporate this wonder paste into your diet, and a bunch of tahini recipes to try. If cooking with tahini seems intimidating try one of our favorite tahini-laden products of the moment: Sesame Kingdom's nutritious pre-mixed sesame spreads are sweetened with dates, carobs, figs and beets; Seed+Mill's artisanal halva; and for even more inspiration check out Adeena Sussman's cookbook Tahini.

Five great health benefits of tahini:

1. Rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, and other important minerals.
2. Excellent source of calcium.
3. High in vitamin E.
4. Chock full of B vitamins.
5. Full of vegan protein.

Ten tahini recipes:  

Middle Eastern Chicken Milanese

Tahini & Miso Glazed Cod with Charred Cucumbers

Stuffed Peppers, Shuk Style

Meatballs with Tahini and Tomatoes

Cucumber Feta Salad

Sweet Potato Hummus

Sweet Dessert Hummus Recipe

Chocolate Tahini Cake with Tahini Frosting

Chocolate-Tahini Truffles

Nostalgic Date Roulades