Home made Halvah

It all started by accident. It was surprisingly sunny, right here at the corner of the street, when friends of ours shared with us a life changing piece of information that just here, a few meters away, there is a small grocery store- "Babylon", and there one can find sugar free date syrup. At the beginning I underestimated the value of this piece of information, but after a few days, when I finally digested and fully understood the meaning of it, a variety of culinary ideas came into my mind and a big smile appeared on my face.

Like life always is, full of surprises, the next surprise that came my way was equally as nice. In the exact same grocery store I could also get large amounts of Lebanese Tahini, and cheap. Now I have to be honest and say that this Tahini is not the most interesting Tahini that crossed my way, but to find here (a small city in Germany) such amounts of Tahini and cheap is not something one takes for granted. Usually the Tahini here is not Tahini, it's "Sesame Paste"… And I have to say that it's a shame.

Anyway, I went right to it and tried my luck making my own home made sugar free yummy Halvah, and after a few attempts and a small Tahini belly it came out not bad at all. Even good!

It is very important that the date syrup will be pure and not some lousy syrup full with preservative which sugar is one of them. Dates are a super source for energy and they are rich with different kinds of minerals like Magnesium and Potassium. They are also a good source for vitamin A and B6. Well, dates are also rich with iron, but with the combination with the Tahini, which is rich with Calcium, the absorption of the iron is pretty poor. But every dish has its own ups and downs and the trick is to be aware of the different aspects and to know when and with what to combine the things that nourish our body. Anyway this Halvah will not raise the iron level in your blood a lot, but it has many other benefits to offer.

Like I mentioned before, Tahini is maybe the best available yummy source for Calcium. And yes, Tahini Rules! It's important that the Tahini will be made out from whole grain sesame, which, unfortunately, I still didn’t manage to find here. Whole grain Tahini has almost double the amount of Calcium so it's really worth it. Beside of Calcium Tahini is also rich vitamin E, which is important for the development of the muscles and improves the blood flow, and it is also a good source for complete protein. Tahini is also rich with the fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6, which is important for a better function of the heart and are helping for the development of the brain and the combination between the two is important and they complete each other in a way. 

In this recipe I also combine Flax seeds, which like any other seeds it is important to ground them because otherwise the body will just not digest them and will not absorb all the goodness in them. Flax seeds are also rich with Omega 3 fatty acid, and the combination with the Tahini, which is also rich with Omega 6, is a winning combination. Flax seeds are also rich with fiber, which helps to balance the sugar level in the blood.

The amounts I use in this recipe are not so large, but they are enough for two people for a couple of days. The thing is, it is better not to make big amounts at once but rather make small amounts, because with time the ingredients will slowly start to oxidize and lose their nutrition value.

Another tip, in order to grind the seeds I use a simple coffee grinder. It's quick, easy and doesn't make a mess.

The ingredients :

Half a cup grounded sesame seeds

Half a cup grounded flax seeds

Half a cup date syrup

One cup whole grain Tahini

Some favorite nuts

It is very simple. Mix all the ingredients together nicely, dived into cubes, stripes or just like this in a bowl and let it cool down in the fridge for a few hours. For the hot summer days you can also put it for a few hours in the freezer and enjoy a nice yummy healthy Halvah ice cream bar. Another cool thing is to just add some water (or even rice or almond milk) and turn this recipe to a cool yummy spread to spread on bread or even on fresh baked Challah bread. Enjoy!