- 1 1/2 cup hulled, preferably organically grown, sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon (or to taste) maple syrup or raw honey
- about 4-6 tablespoons distilled water
- Put sesame seeds in a blender. Grind to as fine a powder as possible, stopping a few times to stir up from the bottom to make sure all seeds are ground.
- Transfer ground seeds to a bowl. Mix in maple syrup or raw honey until well distributed throughout. Add enough distilled water (usually 4-6 tablespoons) to form a loaf.
- Refrigerate a few hours to firm up before slicing. Keeps at least a week in the refrigerator; much longer frozen.
Variations: add to the mix raw carob or cacao powder or, for some crunch, chopped raw walnuts or pecans.
*Sesame seeds are a superior source of the macronutrient calcium, which is vital for so many body functions. This halvah recipe uses hulled sesame seeds because the taste is closer to the traditional Middle Eastern dish. Hulled seeds contain 110 mg. of calcium per 100 grams (about 3.5 oz.) dry weight, which is a considerable amount.
Unhulled sesame seeds, however, are far richer in calcium, upping the calcium content to 1160 mg. per 100 grams which is higher than in any other food! You may want to try making this recipe with the whole, unhulled seeds. It will take a bit more grinding in the blender and the taste is different than regular halvah, but you may like it and what a calcium punch!
