Whenever we have meditation retreats at the zendo, we have very healthy meals. Almost always, Gomashio is provided for us. Gomashio is a mixture of toasted sesame seeds and sea salt. You can season just about anything with it. Seriously, I've used it in oatmeal, in plain rice and even in mac & cheese. You may remember my post on sesame seeds and their wonderful benefits. Using this mixture is a little healthier than using salt alone. Plus, it deepens the flavor. This is why I decided to make some jars of it for some family and friends as holiday presents.
Sometimes the gomashio is ground up after being toasted, but I did not do this. I enjoy the seeds whole.
Additonally, I made some nut butters. I've been making some of my own for a while, and decided to share them with family members. Basic nut butters are really simple, actually. You just toast the nut of choice in the oven for a few minutes and then combine them with nut oil and a little sugar in a food processor. It takes A LOT of processing to get to butter consistency, but that's really the hardest part.
I gave come people plain nut butters, like almond nut butter for instance. Then I also played around and came up with some special butters:
- Almond Butter with Chili and Lime
- Dark Chocolate Cashew Butter - I just processed cashews and dark chocolate chips to a buttery consistency. So good, but do not put in the refrigerator or it will become a solid, container shaped brick.
- Peanut Butter with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Allspice
I tried out a few other ideas, but they didn't work out so well. The above were my favorites.
The nut butters and gomashio made nice compliments to the cookies I made. This gave people some healthier Christmas goodies.
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