Love this post by No Crohn’s (follow her here: http://nocrohns.wordpress.com), it’s a great take on a fridge staple.

We were talking about beetroot hummus the other day and she inspired me to make some. I added tahini because I read (somewhere) of the nutritional constituants of tahini (methionine for instance) compliment those of chickpeas (it’s protein and perhaps others). The amino acid methionine in tahini will also aid in Liver detoxification, along with the beets.

I like sesame seeds (what make up tahini) because of their high calcium content. I sprinkle them on a lot of foods including scrambled eggs. In TCM we use black sesame (Hei Zhi Ma) to benefit the kidneys, promote bowel movements and keeping hair shiny and strong (interestingly, this is to do with the relationship to kidneys). Not necessarily useful as tahini, but a good sprinkling on your hummus along with a drizzle of olive oil is a great way to reap the benefits.