Hummus lovers, fear not - Celery Root Hummus is here to save you!

Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans are a no-no in the paleo lifestyle. I love chickpeas and even more than that, I love the hummus they create when blended. I miss hummus SO much. If I can cheat, I'll cheat w/hummus. But rather than cheat, I figured there had to be a recipe out there that tasted good, was easy to make and would be a paleo friendly substitute for hummus. I am here to tell you, I've found it!
Over on Food52.com I discovered a recipe for celery root hummus that is everything it promises to be. Not only was it easy, it was quick and so incredibly tasty!

Now, I know what you're thinking, celery root?? What is that? Where do I find it? Fear not! Celery root is your friend!  You can find this in most grocery stores in the produce department. It is about the size of a softball and is a little gnarled looking. Don't let this fool you, with a potato peeler, you'll be able to peel this pretty easily and slice off any really rough parts w/a paring knife. It's softer than it looks and is easy to cut up into cubes once you're done. Here's an example of what you should look for in the store:

Celery Root

I am a big fan of celery root. I have a recipe for celeriac soup that is to die for - I'll share that one this fall when soup weather returns. The recipe was really simple and didn't require a laundry list of ingredients.The only thing I had to buy was the celery root, tahini and cumin. Simple Truth Organic makes Tahini and it was very reasonably priced compared to the others.

The link to the recipe is above but I've also included it here. I'm so happy to have found this. Thanks to Aliya Leekong  for her fabulous recipe that will now become an amazing addition to my weekly recipe list.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do!

Ready for tasting!

I used a mason jar from Home Goods that worked perfect for storing, not that it'll last long!

This one is for my Paleo partner at work! 

*** The only prep note I'd really like to include is that my blender had a bit of a hard time w/this as the celery root was piled nearly up to the top. It churned a bit in processing even with the root water. I would recommend perhaps doing this in 2 batches so it's more manageable and then blending together in a bowl w/a stick blender. 

Makes 2 1/2 cups

• 2baseball sized celery roots, peeled and cut into a 3/4” dice (approximately 3 ½ cups)
• 1tablespoon butter
• 3garlic cloves
• 1 1/2tablespoon tahini
• 1/2teaspoon cumin
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• juice of half a lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• paprika

1. Place celery root dice in a stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring up to a boil uncovered and boil 13-15 minutes until the celery root is very tender.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer celery root into a blender, reserving the cooking liquid. Add butter and let melt. Add garlic cloves, tahini, cumin, cayenne, salt, and lemon juice.
3. Ladle in a bit of the cooking liquid and blend. Continue adding cooking liquid a little bit at a time until desired texture is achieved. It took about 2 full ladles (of a 4 oz. ladle) to get to the puree I desired.
4. Transfer to a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil in the well and sprinkle hummus with paprika. I love to eat this warm or cold, so serve as you like!