Open SESAME!
Posted by Andrea Nakayama

It’s been quiet around here at Replenish, while we all take the time to, well, replenish!
I hope you’re also taking the time to replenish in the thick of the bustle where you are.
I certainly don’t want to take too much of your time as I know you likely have a lot to do in the next day or so, but I did want to remind you of 2 very important things before you get distracted…
First
If you’re clambering for a last minute gift or stocking stuffer (for yourself or a loved one!), don’t forget that our new year’s, new you Resolution Detox is the perfect way to ring in 2017.
Learn more about Resolution Detox: 10 days to a radiant new you by clicking right here.
And if you’d like to give the gift of Resolution to someone you love for the new year, let us know at support@fxnutrition.com and we can set that up for you!
Second
Open sesame!
A few years back, I was lucky enough to spend the holidays with my son amidst the busy markets and ancient ruins of Israel. During that trip, I discovered that tahini (which is pronounced: taccheena) is indeed a very important thing. (YUM!)
In Israel, tahini can be served like butter or maybe cheese, and added to any dish. Whether a plate of rice, lentils and crisp onions, or a heaping bowl of eggplant, potatoes and lamb, they all come with a side of tahini, smooth and creamy with a drizzling of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon poised atop.
During our travels, we went to a small shop in the shuk (or market) with walls lined from floor to ceiling with small buckets of tahini in various modernized flavors like chimichurri or date syrup sweetened.
At the back of the shop, which was maybe about eight or nine feet deep, was a large stone press encased behind a glass window. The heavy stones compressed the small sesame seeds and the caramel colored liquid oozing out the spout – positioned on the customer side of the window – was a perfectly salty and tangy tahini, some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Tahini, as we often find it in the states, is a thick and clumpy paste, the consistency of peanut butter that’s been sitting in the fridge untouched for too many months. But the tahini in Israel is like liquid gold.
If the thought of this golden sauce is screaming ‘open sesame’ to your taste buds, and you can’t find the right one on your store shelf (or make it to a middle eastern market), then go ahead and work some kitchen magic…
Don’t be afraid to dump that hearty paste into your blender with some water, a dash of olive oil and some sea salt and whirl it into a sauce you can use to accompany almost anything. (I enjoy eating it in the morning drizzled on chopped apples and walnuts. Recently I’ve been adding mulberries to the mix!)
If you feel like getting creative, consider blending in a soft pitted date to cut the bitter taste or some cayenne to spike the flavor.
While you may be thinking of plumb fairies, I’m envisioning a Christmas kale salad with roasted garlic, carrots and beets, drizzled with a maple-tahini dressing. What a great way to bring a rainbow to the holiday table!
Here’s wishing you and yours a replenishing holiday filled with light, love and good health.
Warmly,
P.S. If you already know you’ll be ready for a post holiday reset (after one too many christmas cookies or sips of eggnog!), Resolution Detox awaits. There’s an Early Bird Discount that’s available through January 2nd (making it just $67 to welcome in the radiant new you in 2017).
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