Friday night, which used to be our breakfast-for-dinner night, has morphed into our snacks for dinner night, often accompanied by a movie or a chance to catch up on episodes of The Daily Show or Cosmos. Sometimes it’s a smorgasbord of what’s left in the fridge, sometimes something special from the deli or cheese counter, and sometimes it’s popcorn and smoothies.

This week I was working from home and was able to bake up a batch of pita bread (my recipe is in 3191Q Issue No. 7, and I promise you, it’s quite simple to make!) I wanted a new taste (and color!) to go with it and remembered a recipe for carrot hummus I had come across a while back.

Based off one from the River Cottage Restaurant, it was fragrant with cumin and citrus and fairly simple to prepare. I altered it a touch to accommodate what I had on hand and suit my own tastes (the original calls for orange juice—I thought that might be a bit sweet). It went over well at snacky dinner, and I had the leftovers on toast with avocado for breakfast the next day. Enjoy!

Carrot Hummus
Adapted from this recipe at the Washington Post

1 pound carrots
3 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of one small lemon or 1/2 large
3 tablespoons of tahini (or sub in another nut or seed butter…cashew would be amazing)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub or peel the carrots and chop into smallish chunks. Mix 4 tablespoons of the oil with the honey, cumin and paprika in a bowl big enough to hold the carrots. Leaving the skins on, smash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife. Add the carrots and garlic to the oil and toss to coat. Lay the carrots out in a roasting pan (I use a cast iron skillet) and drizzle any remaining oil and spice mixture over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until carrots are soft and browned at the edges (of note, you can stop here and just eat the roasted carrots—they are delicious). Allow to cool slightly. Remove garlic and peel away skins. Place roasted garlic in the bowl of a food processor and add the carrots, making sure to scrape all the wonderful caramelized bits into the mixture. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and tahini. Pulse until smooth and uniform, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add a touch more olive oil if needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper or more lemon to suit your preference.

—SCB

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