Last week I found a post by Mihl from Seitan is my motor through Vegalicious. Mihl had developed a recipe for sunflower seed spread, and reading about it, I instantly got a feeling that this would be a new favorite at our house. First batch I made was the plain version that Mihl posted, only with toasted seeds since I can’t have them raw - and it was simply delicious, and simple to make too. It is definitely a whole lot better than any store bought vegan spread we’ve tried, and it can be varied indefinitely with the addition of spices, nuts, or veggies.

I’m posting the recipe of a variation we made today, and had for dinner on some organic bread, topped with lettuce, avocado, and cucumber. I can’t even remember the last time we skipped dinner to eat sandwiches, but this rich spread makes us do unordinary things. We spiced it up with oil roasted garlic, which could be subbed with a clove of fresh garlic for a sharper taste.

Credit for this recipe goes completely to Mihl, but our version does have a little less oil than hers, and includes toasted sunflower seeds instead of raw ones. This is pure speculation, but I think that toasting possibly gives this spread a nuttier taste, and using raw seeds might result in a more neutral tasting spread.

Our version of Mihl’s spread:

• 1 dl (7 tablespoons) toasted sunflower seeds
• 3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 and 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

First, the sunflower seeds need to be toasted, which is the easiest thing in the world; we just heated them in a dry frying pan, and toasted them, stirring with a ladle every once in a while, until they had browned lightly. When the sunflower seeds were toasted, we placed them on a plate to cool down a bit, and used the same pan to roast the garlic.

Heikki sautéed the sliced garlic on low heat, in 1 tablespoon of the canola oil, until it was softened and mushy, about 10 minutes. Then we mixed everything up in our electric grinder, until the spread got lighter in color and was very smooth, which took maybe about 3 to 4 minutes or so. We adjusted the amount of water while mixing, adding it half a tablespoon at a time, until the spread had a creamy and easily spreadable consistency.