I have a confession to make…. I love snacking. Now, I will also admit since going paleo/primal my cravings have magically disappeared but I still like a snack in the late afternoon when the batteries are running low.
As you have probably noticed, snacking is way different on this path. It used to be grab some cracker and cheese or carrot sticks and hummus. Hummus…. We must pause here in reverence……. I love hummus. I mean really really love hummus.
The first moment I had it is still so clear to me. It was love at first bite. My senses exploded in a fourth of July like celebration. I looked at the mushy undescript paste in the bowl and couldn’t believe that such a simple looking thing could be so complex and compelling! I had to know what it was!
I soon started making it myself since I couldn’t get enough. Working on the nuances of hummus was a great joy for me. More or less garlic? Smoked paprika or sweet? One or two lemons? You get the picture.
Since going Primal I have dearly missed hummus. I have actually laid in bed and wondered, “How do I make a really great paleo hummus?” Then the other day, I was writing an article on the many attributes of cauliflower and it hit me. Cauliflower hummus! That’s it!!
beautiful cheddar cauliflower from my garden
After all Mark Sisson always sings the praises of the adaptability of cauliflower. So I bought a beautiful yellow cauliflower and steamed it. I tossed it into a food processor with a touch of tahini, lemon juice, garlic, actually lot of garlic and olive oil. The cauliflower wasn’t steamed enough. It just went round and round in lumps but the flavor was great.
Try number 2. This time I steamed the cauliflower till really soft, back into the food processor with all the ingredients except the tahini. I tried macadamia nut butter instead to make this a truly paleo dish. It was an incredible success!
Steamed cauliflower ready to rumble!
So here it is. Even if you are not a hummus fan I think you will love it. Add the garlic to your personal preference. I like a lot of garlic. Serve it up with fresh cut veggies and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Cauliflower hummus, as good as it looks
Cauliflower Hummus
One large head of cauliflower (preferably yellow)
2 to 10 cloves of fresh garlic, minced in the food processor first
2 tablespoons of macadamia nut butter (or almond)
The juice of one medium lemon
¼ cup (or so) of olive oil
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 – 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley
Or 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
Salt to taste; about 1 teaspoon
Garnish with parsley, smoked paprika and olive oil
Steam your head of cauliflower till it is very tender. While that is cooling take down your food processor and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil, nut butter, spices and lemon juice and mix some more. Add the cauliflower and puree till a smooth paste. Add some more olive oil if you need to get this lovely paste. Spread the hummus in a lovely platter in swirly patterns. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with more paprika and serve with veggies.
Nice recipe. I love hummus as well but my stomach doesn’t handle beans well..thanks for sharing!
This really looks good! I look forward to trying this out!
This recipe was the most popular one on chowstalker today! Thanks for sharing it!!
What else ya got? 🙂
This looks awesome, bookmarking it. Who’da thought cauliflower was so versatile???
I love the recipe, so looking forward to making it myself. Just need a blender. How come your pictures look so good?
This looks awesome, bookmarking to try after I return from vacation.
Franky, cauliflour masquerading as rice fails to impress, but indeed I have no tastebud cravings for rice. I do, for hummus. I’ll give this a gander, thanks!
Oh this looks amazing! I’ve been missing hummus so much since going Paleo! Cannot wait to try this!! Thank you so much!!
thank you so much! This recipe is delicious! The texture was perfect, and I used tahini instead of the nut butter. Love the spice combo!
You’re welcome. Thanks for trying it!
I tried this recipe after I saw it on Pinterest. I do not follow a Paleo diet, but instead strive for a dairy-free, grain-free, soy-free, corn free, mostly vegetarian diet. This was scrumptious! I used sunflower seed butter instead (tahini and almond butter can be pricey), and it tasted fantastic! I like my foods spicy, so I add hot sauce or cajun spices to taste before eating. Thanks for the great recipe!
very good! I had a white cauliflower so I added a bit of saffron to it! Yum!
Oh good idea!! Glad you liked it!
Ok I would love to try this. How many calories per serving
Hummm not sure. You could put it in a calorie calculator and figure it out. Thanks for giving it a try!
Looking forward to making this!! How much does this recipe yield?
Humm, not sure, depends on the size of the head of cauliflower. Maybe two cups?
It made a lot more than 2 cups but
thank goodness it did! It tastes delicious so it will probably be gone in a heart beat
Oh good to know! It is yummy huh? Glad you loved it.
Just made it. Very good!
Glad you like it! It’s a constant around here.
This recipe was awesome! My husband and I love garlic so we threw in the maximum amount recommended (10 cloves). I think I’ll need to cut it back to 8. I think if I had heated the garlic a little to take out some of the bite it would have been a bit better. Needless to say it made about 4 cups and it was gone in a matter of hours between the two of us. MMMM garlic breath. Oh, and this tastes EXACTLY like hummus. I was shocked.
I think it rocks too! Thanks for coming over and telling me. Always appreciate feedback! 10 cloves of garlic! Whoa! Go girl!
This is really close to my hummus recipe. The only difference is that I add just a hint of cayenne pepper. Gives it just a little kick. I am excited to try this out tonight!
It really is very good. Lately I’ve been into making hummus with roasted eggplant. So delish! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
In Lebanon we make different types of ‘hummous’ that are also really tasty and can go paleo. My favourite is actually beetroot hummous (same principle: steamed vegetable + lemon + garlic + tahini / nut butter + olive oil). It’s amazing with celery sticks to keep it paleo. My grandfather enjoyed zucchini hummus a lot (jokingly called it ‘mama ghanouj’ as the wife and partner to ‘baba ghanjouj’ made with eggplant). Note that you need to still grill the zucchini for this one to get the smokey flavour. Finally, to switch it up from the regular hummous, I sometimes make ‘hummous beiruti’ which basically adds chopped parsley and tomatoes (and dried mint if you have any). It’s really amazing how far you can go with this basic combination!
Funny you should mention this as I got a new cookbook recently called Purple citrus and sweet perfume that is a Middle eastern cook book that has a beet hummus recipe. http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Citrus-Sweet-Perfume-Mediterranean/dp/0062071599
I was charmed by it and must try it! Thank you so the lovely comment. Such a great cuisine that you are a part of. My very favorite actually. 😛