Carrot Hummus
I highly recommend eating this with raw carrots. There’s something pretty magical about eating the same vegetable, both raw and cooked, together -- you get to experience all the characteristics of that perfectly, in-season veggie in one mouthful. You can make this recipe with beets the exact same way.
1 bunch of carrots, cleaned and tops removed
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cumin, ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
¼ t red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Salt
⅓ cup tahini
1-2 T lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Thoroughly cover your carrots with olive oil, cumin, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking sheet with a few cloves of unpeeled garlic. Roast the carrots for 30 - 45 minutes, or until they are cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
If your tahini has separated out, place the tahini in a bowl with lemon juice, and a clove or two of raw, crushed garlic. While whisking the tahini, slowly drizzle in some cold water -- the tahini will initially seize up, keep going! As you continue to slowly add in cold water, the tahini will start to lighten in color and become very fluffy. Stop adding water once you’ve reached a hummus like consistency. Adjust lemon, garlic, and salt levels to taste -- all of these flavors will help to balance the bitterness of the tahini and the sweetness of the roasted carrots.
After the carrots have cooled, place them in a food processor with any residual olive oil and spices left on the baking sheet. Remove the peels from the roasted garlic. Blend the carrots and tahini until smooth. Adjust the levels of lemon juice, raw garlic, cumin, and salt to taste.
