Kefir Chick Pea Tahini Dressing

A few weeks ago, I was invited by Lifeway Kefir to create a new kefir-based recipe for their website.  They'd seen my Apple Pie Kefir Ice Cream recipe and thought that was inventive, so asked if I might try my hand at another one.

Lifeway provided me with coupons for free kefir.  (As the store I visited did not have the organic version at the time, I created the recipe using the non-organic - but in future, I will always use the organic.)  I mulled the idea for a while.  I wanted the recipe to be cold or room temperature, since cooking kefir kills all of those helpful probiotics.  And let's face it, one of the main reasons we drink kefir is to reap the benefit of all of that good-for-you bacteria.  It also had to be a recipe that complements it's particular taste and texture.  Kefir's texture is like drinkable yogurt.  It has more "bite" than regular yogurt and almost has an effervescent quality.  I find it very tasty and love how healthy it is.  It's great in smoothies, dips and dressings - and as I found out last year, it's also great in frozen desserts.

This time, I decided to make a dip/dressing.  This morning, I perused my vegetable garden and then visited the organic section of my local Kroger to pick up some additional ingredients.  My plan was to put in front of myself a variety of tasty ingredients and just combine and taste, combine and taste, until I found the right combination.  Here's what my kitchen counter looked like before I started:

After much taste testing (and a huge mess), I hit upon a fantastic dip/dressing.  It's got a middle-eastern flavor as it includes chick peas (garbanzo beans) and tahini (pureed sesame seeds).  You can put this in a pita with lettuce and stuffed grape leaves.  You can put it on a spinach salad with crumbled walnuts.  Or you can just use it as a dip for vegetables and toast/crackers/chips.

Kefir Chick Pea Tahini Dip/Dressing
makes roughly one cup

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons organic lowfat plain Lifeway Kefir
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons avocado
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons chick peas (the canned variety works well - rinse and drain them first)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and course ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate until use.  Use or freeze within a day.

(this recipe is also posted on Lifeway's website, here)

Enjoy!