Roasted Lemon & Cauliflower Hummus

by Angela Gallardo in Recipes, Sides & Snacks

11 comments

While we aren’t big snackers here in the BRG household, I am really fond of hummus.

And if snacks have a place in your life, I’m an even bigger fan of high-fat snacks.

Me + beans = unhappy bathroom times.  The bean side of Paleo was always a no-brainer and I kind of shied away from them anyway.  Hummus was the exception, particularly TJ’s edamame hummus circa 2010.  <3

Although TJ’s tahini sauce (find it in the fridge section near the hummus) is extremely hummus-like, I wanted to try out a cauli base and see what happened.

It totally worked.  I went with my default of roasting cauliflower being the operable way to go (like my cauli-rice) and threw a few lemons on the pan because you can’t go wrong with roasted lemons.  Tahini, lots of EVOO for creaminess, and of course garlic.

It’s pretty close to my hummus dreams of old.  Perfect with cucumbers or as a base for some slow-cooked meats.

Get a printable PDF of the recipe

Roasted Lemon & Cauliflower Hummus

Total time: 75 minutes

Yields: about 2 cups

• 12 oz. cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1 medium head)
• 2+ medium lemons
• Avocado oil, for roasting
• 1/2 c. tahini paste (this one is a new favorite)
• 1-3 garlic cloves, depending on your preference for garlicky
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. total lemon juice (from the above listed lemons)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Optional for garnish: more extra virgin olive oil, roasted pine nuts, kalamata olives, chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment or a silpat mat.
2. Lay the cauliflower florets out on the lined pan and drizzle lightly with avocado oil.  Halve the lemons and place them face down on the sheet.  Roast for 40 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden.  Halfway through the cooking time, toss the cauliflower and remove the lemons from the oven.
3. Once the cauliflower is done, allow it to cool for 20 minutes before adding to the hummus.
4. When the cauliflower is cooled, add it to the bowl of a large food processor.  Process until it is well broken down, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.  Add the tahini paste, garlic cloves, extra-virgin olive oil, juice from the roasted lemons*,  sea salt, and black pepper.  Process until very smooth, up to 1-2 minutes if needed.
5. For best results, serve the hummus garnished with more extra-virgin olive oil, roasted pine nuts, kalamata olives, or chopped parsley.

*Note: you want about 1/4 cup of lemon juice total.  If you don’t get that much from the roasted lemons, you can supplement with juice from another non-roasted lemon until you reach 1/4 cup.

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