Sesame Seed (with recipes)

    These tiny seeds are gown principally in East Asia and to some extent in Africa. African slaves first introduced the sesame seed to America, and in the Southern states it came to be known by its African name, benne.  These seeds are extremely high in calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and unsaturated oil and contain a good amount of protein. Always purchase the unhulled variety, for many of these nutrients reside in the hull. Organic, unhulled sesame seeds should not all be the same color – they range from very pale brown to tan – uniformity means they have been bleached or hulled.

    Sesame seeds are usually toasted before using. This is easy: Place them in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and stir until they are lightly browned. They are used whole or ground into meal (in a blender or with a mortar and pestle) in cereal and rice dishes, as breading for meats and vegetables, and in and on top of bread and cookies. Whole toasted sesame seeds are a welcome addition to French and Italian salad dressing. Ground sesame seeds are the main constituent of that most delicious. Middle Eastern confection, halvah. Raw unhulled sesame seeds can be grown into tasty sprouts.

***

SESAME SEED COOKIES

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter
1 cup honey
½ cup sesame seeds
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
¼ teaspoon salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil baking sheets.
2.  Cream butter and honey well. Roast the sesame seeds lightly in a heavy skillet (see above). Add egg, sesame seeds, and vanilla to the creamed mixture. Add flour and salt and blend well.
3.  Spoon by the teaspoonful onto an oiled baking sheet, spacing the batter well for it tends to spread out. Bake for 4-5 minutes.
4.  Makes about 50 cookies.


***

BAKED CHICKEN WITH SESAME SEEDS

¾ cup toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut in pieces
2 tablespoons pressed vegetable oil

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together dry ingredients. Dip chicken in vegetable oil and then into sesame mixture. Place chicken, bone side up, in an oiled baking dish. Bake 15 minutes, then turn and bake 45 minutes more.
3.  Serves four.


Please click in the labels below for more foods with related organic vitamins/minerals benefits.

Rye Grain

    Rye grain is grown in northern regions where wheat cannot subsist. Its distinctive somewhat sour taste is found in North Country cuisines – in Scandinavia, Germany, and Russia.

    Rye is rich in minerals and B vitamins, particularly in potassium and riboflavin. Rye grain can be used as a long-cooking cereal, or it can be ground (if you have a small grain mill) to make meal and flour. It is very useful to those who are allergic to wheat.

    A poisonous fungus known as ergot, supposedly the cause of the historical hallucinations that plagued young women during the Salem witch trials, can sometimes infest rye. Ergot contamination, though not uncommon in medieval times, is rare nowadays, as rye grains are treated with pesticides to eliminate any chances of ergot contamination. It is important to buy organic rye products that have protected from ergot via careful and meticulous farming techniques as opposed to poisonous chemicals.