I know this recipe isn’t exactly a meal prep recipe, but I’m also a fan of snack prepping. I have absolutely no self control when I snack so sometimes I portion out snacks for the week ahead of time. I’m a little hummus obsessed (thanks to my friend Alena who eats about a gallon of Sabra a day and my friend Wade who probably keeps hummus in his pockets like Napoleon Dynamite did with tots), so a hummus recipe seemed appropriate for snack prepping. This recipe (and my next couple of recipes!) is extremely easy and makes a PHENOMENAL dish that will leaves your taste buds in a frenzy.

Before diving into the recipe and some details about it, I need to give a casual shoutout to the recipe’s creator, Jordy (my little brother)! Just look at this kid:

Not only is he devilishly handsome, but he’s kind of amazing at everything that he does. If I had a fraction of his creativity and work ethic, I would consider myself in the top tier of humans. This dude is graduating from Full Sail in two days (!!!!) and has already started laying the ground work for his empire. I guarantee you that Jordy is gonna win a Grammy for sound design or something before I even finish my residency. How cool would it be to say that you have made a Grammy winner’s hummus recipe?! Well, look no further. Keep on reading to find out more about this dish or scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe and grocery list.

Before going any further, let’s talk chat about cauliflower vs. chickpeas. Hummus is typically made with chickpeas as a base. So, why use cauliflower? And does it affect the taste? Well, let’s check on some nutrition facts:

 

First, check out those calorie counts. Cauliflower is significantly lower in calories than chickpeas. Second, take a glance at the difference in carbs. Wow. These are the largest differences to note between using chickpeas and cauliflower as a hummus base. So, depending on your nutrition needs for the week, you can adjust your base as needed. For example, I wasn’t using this hummus as a protein source, just a mindless afternoon snack. I did not suffer by missing out on the protein provided by the chickpeas. If you’re meal plan has room for calories and needs some more protein packed in, then by all means hit up that chickpea action! More power to you. Most importantly, beyond the nutrition facts, you would never notice that this hummus recipe uses cauliflower rather than chickpeas.

Hummus is traditionally a Levantine dish. “Levant” is a geographical term that refers to areas of land in the Eastern Mediterranean, such as Cyprus, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. “Hummus” actually comes from the Arabic word for chickpeas, and the name of the spread we recognize as hummus is referred to in Arabic as “ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna,” which translates to “chickpeas with tahini”. So what is tahini? Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds. For lack of a better comparison, it’s akin to the sesame seed version of organic peanut butter in terms of consistency, properties, and storage recommendations (i.e. store in a refrigerator due to the high oil content). Tahini may be eaten on its own as a dip, but most people will recognize it as the primary component in hummus. In fact, tahini is the reason that using cauliflower instead of chickpeas in this hummus recipe provides little to no flavor difference. Tahini gives hummus that classic taste, allowing for cauliflower to impersonate chickpeas as the recipe base.

So for the dish itself, it only takes a couple of steps. All that is required is placing some cauliflower florets on a roasting pan, tossing them in some oil, and dusting with some seasoning. Let it be known, I am a big fan of the Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning I used for this hummus. I set up a video camera in my kitchen while I made this dish and here’s the footage of me seasoning the cauliflower:

After roasting, you’ll put the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse it until it’s in small bits.

Then you’ll add the tahini, some lemon juice, and some olive oil. Simple as that! This is a no hassle dish that tastes unbelievably amazing. Happy snack prepping to all, and to all a good bite!

Jordy’s Cauliflower Hummus Recipe

This recipe made enough servings for 8 containers with about 2-3 tablespoons of hummus in each container.

Before beginning this meal prep, I got my drink and bluetooth speaker ready. This week I drank Skinny Girl California Red while I meal prepped because I wanted to trick my brain into feeling less guilty about finishing the whole bottle in one night. I turned my Spotify onto Linkin Park’s artist page and shuffled all of their music. Rest in peace, Chester.

Roasting the Cauliflower: 

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut a head of cauliflower in half. Break off the cauliflower into florets and then slice the florets so that they are thin rather than bulky.
3. Peel 6 cloves of garlic.
4. Add the cauliflower florets and peeled garlic cloves to a roasting pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Drizzle the cauliflower and garlic with avocado oil (olive oil also works) and liberally season with your favorite cajun seasoning (I highly recommend Slap Ya Mama).
6. Toss the cauliflower and garlic to coat with the oil and seasoning.
7. Roast the cauliflower and garlic in the oven for 40 minutes. Halfway through the roast, toss the ingredients in the pan.
8. Once roasted, remove from the oven. Let cool before adding to the food processor (in the steps below).

Preparing the Hummus:

1. Collect 1/2 cups of juice from 3 large lemons.
2. Portion out 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of tahini.
3. Add the cauliflower and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cauliflower and garlic are in small bits.
4. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini to the food processor. Process until smooth.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more cajun seasoning. Process.
6. Dress the prepared hummus with dried parsley and more cajun seasoning if desired.

Jordy’s Cauliflower Hummus Grocery List

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 bulb garlic
• 3 large lemons
• Tahini
• Cajun seasoning (I recommend Slap Ya Mama)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• ***Optional: Avocado oil
• ***Optional: Dried parsley