I found this awesome recipe from Whole9 for cashew hummus–no beans, no starch, just healthy satisfying fats and protein. Here’s the base recipe, and I’ve included info on how to make plain, olive, roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomato versions too.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
water
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Soak cashews in a bowl of water for at least three hours. Drain and rinse a few times, then drain well and place in food processor.

Add remaining ingredients to food processor and puree until well-blended. The texture will be very thick. Add water, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired thickness–add it gradually to get the right consistency.

Sprinkle the top with freshly chopped parsley before serving.

For the variations, keep the base recipe the same and add the following:

Olive:  Add black olives to the mixture before blending. For canned olives, 20-30 is a good number. For fancier cured Greek olives, start with 10-15 and add more to taste.

Roasted Red Pepper: Add 1-2 roasted red peppers and 1/2 teaspoon paptrika to the mixture before blending. To roast peppers, cook on a grill or under the broiler until charred and soft. Place in paper bag for 10 minutes, then peel. Or take the easy route, and buy them in a jar at the store.

Sun-dried Tomato: Add 5-7 sun-dried tomatoes to the mixture before blending.