Tahini Stir Fry Sauce

For about a year now I have been making the sauces that I use in stir frys.  Given how ridiculously easy it is, I don't know why I used to buy the stir fry seasoning packets that you add water too.  I usually just eye ball it and add some chicken or vegetable broth, some soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil.  One key ingredient that makes most Asian food taste better is fish or oyster sauce.  A tiny splash of it can really change the flavour.  I had heard about tahini a while ago and had NO IDEA what it was.  I kept thinking it was like tzatziki sauce or tamari.  Regardless, I was clueless.  After some googling I realized it was sesame seed puree...kind of like sesame seed butter.  I bought some having to idea how I would use it!  As a side note, I have been doing this alot lately (buying new foods) and have been having fun trying to find recipes to make with the random and new (to me) ingredients I pick up.  I decided to doctor up one of my usual sauce recipes with same tahini and here you have it..my new go to stir fry sauce.

Kale Pesto Sauce

Egg noodle tagliatelle with garlicy pesto sauce, mushrooms and chicken is pasta heaven for me.
Now, given that I am not a fan of cheese or cream sauces, I find store bought pesto sauces never suit my tastes. I found a recipe a few years back for an easy, basic pesto and it has been my go to. For a few years the Hamilton Farmers Market had a stall where they would sell huge bunches of basil for two bucks. I would stock up, make a bunch of sauce and freeze it. Unfortunately, said stall no longer exists. So this leaves the options of buying basil at the grocery store (can be pricey) or growing my own. Grow my own, sounds easy...not so! I have tried to grow basil for the past two summers with no success. A colleague at work, who is a gardening guru, has since filled me in that pinching the flowers off the plant is the key to big leaves. Crossing my fingers that this summer, third time will be a charm.

I decided to give my go to recipe a whirl with another leafy green...kale. Another twist was using walnuts instead of pine nuts (also pretty steep in the price department). Are you getting the hint that I am kinda cheap? Friends say frugal which is a nice way of putting it ;)