I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was to see toasted sesame seeds and black sesame seeds in my local grocer’s spice section. While I’ve been able to find black sesame seeds in my city for a while, it usually took a special trip to a grocery or market I don’t often frequent.

As far as toasted is concerned, I’ve been toasting my own sesame seeds for years … burning quite a few along the way! So I was ecstatic to know that now I can simply reach into my spice cupboard and sprinkle to my heart’s delight.

Like many Americans growing up in the ‘70ies, I first fell in love with the nutty, diminutive presence on a sesame-seed hamburger bun. More entranced with the seeds dotting the bun that I was with the burger, I can remember being scolded as I “played” with my food. But there I was, picking those delicious little treasures off the bun and eating them one by one.

Fast forward to now, and being able to keep a stock of white, black, toasted and plain sesame seeds within easy reach of the stove top makes my possibilities seem practically endless! (However, do refrigerate the seeds if you’re not using them up fairly quickly!)

Sesame seeds make a lovely topping for salads, stir-fries and rice pilafs. Or you could add them to the breading mix for baked fish or chicken, scatter over steamed vegetables or even add to granola and yogurt. And here’s more good news -- sesame seeds have long been valued for their health benefits and may be the world’s oldest condiment.

Our recipe for Thai-Inspired Pasta Toss is easy to put together in 20 minutes. It offers a myriad of flavors, including my favorite little seed. For our Thai-inspired peanut “dipping” sauce recipe, click here.