Protein-Packed Cauliflower “Hummus” (Raw and Paleo)

BAM! This stuff is D-LICIOUS! So addicting. I’m a weirdo paleo-raw kid and I hate beans so I’m not a fan of regular hummus but it’s kind of a staple in the raw diet… I mean because it’s easy and it’s protein and you can dip veggies in it and you can top a salad with it. So I have been playing around with bean-free hummus recipes. I like the very popular zucchini hummus but for some reason I always get a headache after eating it. I’m thinking it is the zucchini. I like zucchini… a lot… so I ain’t trying to stop eating those anytime soon. But I’m trying to cut back. I thought cauliflower would be bomb in hummus because it gets smooth, has a mild flavor, and it’s just plain yummies.

It is different form the traditional hummus (chickpeas+tahini+spices) in that I don’t use chickpeas (duh, we already addressed that!). Besides the cauliflower addition I also use hemp seeds (remember I’m obsessed from my previous post?) which add that protein punch. So we’ve got fiber from all the seeds (hemp and sesame) plus the cauliflower and now we have extra protein from the hemp seeds and lots of good fat so really what could be any better? Oh yeah, I also don’t use tahini, I use straight sesame seeds. Tahini is made from sesame seeds (like any nut/seed butter) but I can’t for the life of me find RAW tahini anywhere! So I just use sesame seeds and grind ’em up to get that tahini-ness going ;). I don’t want to pay for shipping of a jar of raw tahini that I will go through in a week ($15+ for one week? nah!).

So let’s go into detail about how to make that deliciousness you see in the picture above:

Protein-Packed Cauliflower “Hummus” (Raw and Paleo)

1/2 small head of cauliflower

1 cup of sesame seeds

1 cup of hemp seeds

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4-1/2 cup water

1 tsp. cumin

salt to taste

First, gather your ingredients! You’ll need a knife and spoon, clearly. And obviously some cut up carrots to taste test along the way.

Chop up your cauliflower and put it into the food processor along with everything else BUT only 1/4 cup of the water to start.

Blend until smooth. Since you are using seeds (not already ground up, ready to go tahini) this can take some time, 5-10 minutes depending on your food processor. Scrape down the sides occasionally.

You want a creamy, smooth texture. Add more water a little at a time if it seems to thick.

Taste test. Salty enough? Cool then you are done!

Now pour it in a bowl and try not to eat it all at once. I make a big batch on the weekends so I have hummus for the week for lunch and snacks.