Let’s be honest, Cauliflower is one of the ingredient darlings of alternative eating; whether you’re keto, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, it’s an ingredient that can steal the show (think Whole Roasted Cauliflower) or play out the most vital supporting role (in Rezel Kealoha’s amazing Gnocchi with Kalamansi Miso Butter Sauce) For me, cauliflower, like my other favourite vegetable -the potato- works with so many recipes because of its relatively neutral flavor profile, allowing this humble vegetable to springboard into a myriad of cuisines and cooking techniques.
Enter hummus; one of the most simple and yet, commercialized dishes of the food world (I call it a dish because when I have hummus, I literally eat an entire dish). At the heart of a good, traditional hummus is real chickpeas (if you’re going all out, that means soaked overnight, lightly cooked and deskinned), quality olive oil, and fragrant tahini. For added brightness and bite, use lemon and garlic as desired. If you’re keeping count, we’re at 5 ingredients now. Depending on your chickpeas and brand of tahini, sometimes no extra seasoning is needed, and making it at home will always yield better results than whatever you can find at the supermarket.
My Roasted Cauliflower Hummus follows this formula, minus the arduous chickpea prep. Regardless of whether you use fresh or frozen cauliflower, the result is beautiful all the same; everything bakes happily on one sheet pan and comes together without fuss in the food processor or blender. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have enough hummus for a group or the week’s meal prep. And if you’re avoiding grains or carbohydrate-heavy foods, this is one of those recipes that doesn’t have to fake it; it is as good, if not better than the real thing. Trust.
