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

1. 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.
2. In a small food processor or blender, blend your soaked watermelon seeds until they start to form a paste.
3. Add the rest of your ingredients, and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Store in the fridge. Hummus will separate, just stir with a fork to reincorporate.