Gomasio

Gomasio is one of my favorite condiments made from sesame seeds and salt, often with other herbs and seaweed. It adds such a rich flavor without much salt. And for a family that doesn't eat a lot of packaged foods and uses sea salt exclusively, this also gives us iodine which is naturally found in the seaweed without any fishy flavor. It is just ... good. Every gomasio seems to have a different recipe - the variations are endless - but this is my standard go-to base recipe that I make and re-make often. 

I like using dulse flakes in my gomasio. Dulse is a sea vegetable which has has iron, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, calcium, potassium, and a long list of other minerals. It adds so much healthy goodness without any seaweed smell.

{ingredients}
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1 Tbsp dulse flakes
1 Tbsp hulled hemp seeds
1 tsp dried onion
1 tsp dried garlic
1 Tbsp dried holy basil/tulsi (optional)
1 Tbsp good salt (sea salt, himalayan pink salt, alaea hawaiian salt, fleur de sel, or a smoked flake salt ... just not refined white salt)

Start by toasting your sesame seeds in a dry pan on med-high. This only takes a short time - you are not cooking the seeds, just heating them to release their oils and aroma and toast lightly. Stir stir stir and remove from the heat and pour into a bowl before they start getting too dark. 

Combine all of your ingredients and gently grind together. I find a large mortar and pestle works best. You can pulse *just a few times* in your food processor, but do not over do!! You don't want to make sesame paste. You don't want a powder. You want just all of the ingredients integrated and infused with each other so they don't separate. I usually take 3-5 minutes with a mortar and pestle to gently grind it all together. 

Store in an air tight container - it fits perfectly in a 1/2 pint jelly jar, or put in a shaker. Sprinkle over eggs, steamed veggies, chicken, stew, soup (miso!), dips, salads, you name it. IT IS DELICIOUS!

Here is a simple recipe that you can make to test out your fresh batch of gomasio .

{asparagus with gomasio & blood orange}

1 bunch of asparagus, steamed lightly, don't overcook (it should still be bright green!)
1 blood orange zested, sliced, and peel removed
gomasio
extra virgin olive oil

Place your freshly steamed asparagus on a serving plate with the slices of blood orange.

Sprinkle the blood orange zest and gomasio over the top.

Drizzle over some olive oil (a squeeze of blood orange is nice too)

Serve!

And, as I apparantly cannot stop eating asparagus with gomasio, here is another version but with mushrooms from just a few days ago.

{asparagus with sautéed mushrooms and gomasio}

1 bunch of asparagus, steamed lightly, don't overcook (it should still be bright green!)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (shitake or oyster)
gomasio
extra virgin olive oil and butter (optional)

Sautée your mushrooms in olive oil or a little bit of your butter of choice. 

Place your freshly steamed asparagus on a serving plate. 

Top with the mushrooms. 

Sprinkle with gomasio and drizzle extra virgin olive oil (a peppery oil is great with this). 

Serve!

And don't forget (you know what I'm going to say) - save your blood orange peel, remove the pith, and dry in the dehydrator! Use in tea or mulling blends.

While *more dulse* may sound like a great idea after reading about its benefits, don't. While iodine is something we all need and seaweed is common in a lot of Asian diets, it is in small amounts. Don't overdo it. This recipe has a low ratio for a reason!

---

And today is the draw for the winner of a copy of the premiere issue of TEND Magazine. 

Amy Colwell Bluhm!  Look for an email from  tendmagazine.co.uk with information on how to download your copy!

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments and support everyone. xoD