Heck of a Halva!

When I was younger, I remember learning about halva.  It was a weird, oily, flaky "treat" served at bar and bat mitzvahs.  It was definitely not something I looked for in my pantry when I got home from school each day and wanted a snack.
When I went to Israel at 13, and again at 16, and most recently at 39, I always sampled the halva in the markets in Jerusalem.  It just felt like what you were supposed to do when you were there.  The taste and texture became more and more pleasing as I got older, and to have a vegan sweet, that wasn't too sweet at all, was also appealing.

Last week I was in Chelsea Market in the NYC's Meatpacking District with my son and some friends of ours.  While wandering in and out of every storefront, and picking up little items at many of them, we stumbled across Seed + Mill, purveyors of halva, tahini and even goat milk ice cream. I know, random, and the latter was surely not vegan, but keep reading!

There were no less than a dozen varieties of halva in the case, and nearly half were vegan.  I was curious, so for $6 I purchased a sampler which offered three flavors.  I chose pistachio, nougat and dark chocolate. 

We were heading to a big dinner at the Sugar Factory (which actually has some vegan items on the menu, though not in the dessert department) so I just wanted a pinch of each.  They were each delicious - I would be hard pressed to tell you my favorite.  Even my friend's daughter, a teenager and totally skeptical, liked the nougat flavor she tried.

If you're not in NYC but want to order, just check out their website.  You can shop online and they'll send it out right to your door.