I’ve been slightly obsessed with black sesame lately. It started with a black sesame latte I had this past winter at a café here in Toronto. It was so delicious I dreamt about it for days. Then there was this buddha bowl with black sesame sauce. Then my friend Ruthy posted this amazing black sesame coconut ice cream on her Instagram (I’m still hoping she will share the recipe soon ;)). Finally, I came across this stunning black sesame cake with citrus curd from O&O Eats. These all got me dreaming of new ways to use the tiny black seed. It has a lovely nutty flavour that pairs really well with both savoury and sweet dishes. And there’s something about the grey colour that makes anything intriguing and so much more interesting.

So I was ecstatic when I randomly stumbled upon this black sesame powder in a Chinatown grocery store the other day. I had never used or even seen sesame powder before, but it instantly got me curious. It’s basically just pure, ground black sesame seeds. I love how versatile the powder form is, as you can add it to pretty much anything (salads, dressings, sauces, smoothies, porridge, overnight oats, drinks, popsicles, ice cream, etc.) to instantly elevate the taste and boost the nutrient profile of the dish. Cause yes, these tiny little seeds are real nutrition powerhouse! They contain a ton of minerals, including copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. They’re also a good source of fibre, protein and healthy fat.

Here I’ve blended the powder with plant-based milk (I used homemade cashew milk but any plant milk will do), a few dates for sweetness, a bit of coconut butter for creaminess, and a touch of vanilla and cardamom for a lovely flavour. It changes from your traditional latte and it’s really delicious! I hope you give it a try!

Now onto the links that caught my attention this past week.

Links

Jessie’s Roasted Blueberry Ice Cream & Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches are everything my dreams are made of (and yours too, I’m sure).

Dairy Queen’s pizza was a childhood favourite for my sisters and I. So I flipped when I saw Brianne homemade re-creation of the said pizza, made vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free! It looks so close to the original, but made with all the good stuff. Love.

My Instagram crush of the moment.

We went cherry picking yesterday and brought home 20 lbs worth of cherries (!!!). Looks like we’ll be eating cherries for months. Yay! If you have suggestions of what I should make with them, or special requests for the blog, please send them over!

Call me lazy if you want, but I’ve started “reading” my books in an audio form during my evenings runs, thanks to Audible. I am loving it. I’m totally into this book right now, it’s been incredibly eye-opening and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

San Francisco just banned polystyrene and it makes me hopeful.

Are you a Game of Thrones fan too? We’re still grieving the end of season 6 that they’re announcing we’ll have to wait even longer for the start of season 7. Nooooo.

I did a little Q&A with the lovely folks over at Food Bloggers of Canada as part of their “Featured Member” series. Check it out if you’d like to get to know me a little more.

Don’t forget to keep nominating your favourite blogs for the Saveur Blog Awards.

To get more inspiration all week, follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. And be sure to subscribe to my channel on Nom for more sneak peeks.

Notes: You can find black sesame powder in asian stores, or you can order in on Amazon (although you’ll pay almost twice the price). You can also make your own at home if you’d like.

Print Black Sesame Iced Latte (Vegan) Servings 1 portion Ingredients 1 1/4 cup plant-based milk almond, coconut, cashew, etc. - I used homemade cashew milk

1 1/2 tbsp black sesame powder

2-3 large soft dates pitted (or more to taste)

1 tbsp coconut butter optional but adds a nice creaminess

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp ground cardamom Instructions Blend all the ingredients in a high-powered blender. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding more dates (or a bit of honey if desired) until it's sweetened to your liking. Fill a glass with ice and pour over. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy immediately.