Seasonal Grain Bowl

I didn’t have tahini on-hand so I substituted for cashew butter, which I ended up making myself (it was very easy and came out super creamy and tasty!).
I also had brown lentils on-hand so opted to use those versus purchasing black.
Although using seasonal ingredients provides optimal nutrients, it has been quite dreary here in Sacramento and having a dash of color and a “taste of summer” sounded delightful so I chose to create the spring/summer version. I also had about 2 pounds of tomatoes that I needed to utilize so the Tomato & Cucumber salad component ushered the perfect opportunity.

Since this delicious dish is comprised of several components, planning your attack will be fruitful! I started with the pickling so the veggies would have sufficient time to marinade and create a really robust, flavorful outcome. Then I made the salads - Quinoa Herb and Tomato & Cucumber - also so the flavors would have time to meld together and thoroughly combine. I then started the lentils and while they simmered I began making my cashew butter which I used as substitute for the tahini. While the cooked lentils were resting/cooling, I finished my cashew butter and was then able to create the Turmeric Tahini Sauce. I wanted to give the sauce time to set and let all flavors incorporate.

Researching alternatives and substitutions can prove tasty and economically beneficial! I do not usually have tahini on-hand so I was searching for the best substitute, especially after Chef Guerra mentioned the possibility and noted macadamia nuts. I found that cashew butter is a close runner up and I had sufficient stock of cashews in-house. Additionally, I knew I would use cashew butter much more readily than tahini so it made sense, financially and inventory-wise, to go this route. I located a recipe online to make the butter at home and the process was surprisingly simple, the food processor did all the work! The most tedious part was scrapping all the butter out of the bowl and into an airtight container. What a delicious and creamy product resulted, I don’t know that I will ever buy pre-made nut butters again! I really enjoyed the ingredient control versus buying store-made, and the recipe I found gave ideas to add different spices and inclusions like cinnamon, maple syrup, or a flavorful extract like vanilla.