Roasted Carrot ‘Hummus’

By: Susan Joy

The way these wonderful flavours come together in this dip has made it a family favourite. I’ve soaked cashews to use in place of chickpeas in my paleo version of ‘hummus’. Serve with Rosemary & Seed Crackers (recipe here) and vegetable sticks.

Serves: Makes 2 cups | Prep Time: 00:10 | Cooking Time: 00:30 | * Plus soaking time

Ingredients

1 cup cashews, soaked in hot water with 1/4 tsp sea salt
350g carrot(s), cut into small pieces
3 Tbsp tahini (hulled), or sunflower butter
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 – 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 – 4 Tbsp fresh coriander, leaves
1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste plus extra to sprinkle on top
1/3 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Directions

Soak the cashews in a bowl of hot water with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt for 1 hour. Drain off the soaking water and rinse the cashews well with filtered water.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180c (fan-forced) and prepare the carrots.

Toss the cut carrot in 1 tablespoon of oil and spread out on a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until carrots are tender and brown (roasting gives more flavour but if you have leftover steamed carrots that works too).

Add the drained cashews, tahini, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, coriander, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and carrot, to a blender. Use the tamper stick to push the ingredients onto the blades to help with blending. Stop after 10 seconds and scrape down the sides of the jug, continue blending until well combined and you have reached your desired texture. Add extra olive oil if you prefer a very soft texture (depending on your machine you may need to stop several times and scrap down the sides of the blender jug).

Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, roughly smooth the top. Drizzling with a circle of olive oil and sprinkle with a little smoked paprika. Garnish with a few chopped corriander leaves. (If making ahead, store covered in the fridge and add the toppings just before serving.)

Serve with Rosemary & Seed Crackers and assorted vegetable sticks.

Article supplied with thanks to The JOYful Table.

About the Author: Susan is author of The JOYful Table cookbook containing gluten & grain free, and Paleo inspired recipes for good health and well being.