No Bean, Watermelon Seed “Hummus”
Ah hummus, one of the things I miss greatly about no longer eating beans/lentils. I tend to avoid beans and lentils because of their anti-nutrient properties, and also because they usually give me extreme stomach pain (not terribly uncommon for beans–they do tend to have that, ahem, reputation–but often times it is literally unbearable for me.) But I was missing the veggies dip aspect, so I did some tinkering to figure out what I could come up with. I’d seen hummus made from cauliflower, and cashews, but I chose to go a different route: Watermelon seeds. Say what? you ask. Yep. Let me give you a brief synopsis of watermelon seeds. They are a plant-protein powerhouse. We’re talking 11 grams of protein in 1 ounce. That’s 2 tablespoons. That’s about half of a handful. That’s A LOT of protein. Oh and 15% of your daily iron value in the same 1 ounce. Um yes please and thank you. You can learn more about these little bundles of nutritional joy in my Watermelon Seed ingredient post. So because not only do I use these watermelon seeds for this “hummus,” but also tahini (sesame seed paste), there are about 13 grams of protein in 2 tablespoons of this stuff. Compare this to 2 grams of protein in your traditional, chickpea hummus. (Um, was anyone else disillusioned by this? I was under the impression that hummus was a good source of protein for oh I don’t know, my entire life…) This makes this dip the perfect afternoon snack if you ask me! Now, don’t expect this to be the texture of your traditional hummus. Try as I did, it’s just not the creaminess you’re used to. But the flavor profile is hummus-y indeed, and if you ask me, for the added benefits, I would gladly take a difference in texture. Snack away!
No Bean, Watermelon Seed Hummus
- 1 cup raw, sprouted watermelon seeds
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp each of smoked paprika, onion powder, and dried yellow mustard powder
- dash of cayenne, to taste
- Soak the watermelon seeds in filtered water for 3-4 hours. They will become slightly soft, like pumpkin seeds when gutting a pumpkin. Drain, and rinse.
- In a small food processor or blender, blend your soaked watermelon seeds until they start to form a paste.
- Add the rest of your ingredients, and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Store in the fridge. Hummus will separate, just stir with a fork to reincorporate.
Serving size: 2 Tbsp. Makes 8 servings.
