Roasted Carrot Dip
I have some amazing friends, y’all.
Not just amazing because they love and support me (which is awesome), but amazing because they are saving the world. There’s my friend Jen, for example, who is a partner in Green Circle Salons, a company which collects hair from salons and then turns them into booms which absorb oil when there are spills.
And then there’s Leanne. Her family has owned and run Ridge Meadows Recycling since 1972. They’ve been keeping stuff out of the landfill for 44 years! Leanne is also a big proponent of her local Haney Farmer’s Market, and a player in the local community theatre. Did I mention RMRS gives jobs to people with developmental disabilities?
Yeah, these are the people I am very proud to call my friends.
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to share with you my veganized version of Leanne’s Roasted Carrot & Garlic dip.
A couple years back, my friend Vicki put together a cookbook in support of their local Ridge Meadow’s Hospital Foundation, and this recipe by my friend Leanne was in it.
Now, you gotta know by now I love hummus, but it had never occurred to me that I could make a dip out of roasted carrots! I was intrigued. So I tried it, and boy, was it good!
Here is my own spin on her original recipe. It’s vegan, and I added cumin to the mix. This would make the perfect dip to serve at your Halloween party–in fact, I’ll be making a vat to take to our own Halloween party this weekend.
Roasted Carrot Dip (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients:
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into coins
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
- salt and pepper
- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
- 2 tbsp chickpeas
- 1/4 cup carrot juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp toasted cumin seeds for garnish
Method:
1. In a medium-sized bowl, place the carrots, peeled garlic, vegetable oil, salt and pepper and cumin. Toss well to coat.
2. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and then into a pre-heated 425 degree (220°C) oven for about 20 minutes, until crispy around the edges.
3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough so that you can handle them.
4. Once they have cooled enough, place them in the bowl of your blender along with the chickpeas, carrot juice, olive oil, tahini, and rice wine vinegar. Blend well until it is smooth, scraping down the sides if need be. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Scrape into a bowl and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and cumin seeds that have been dry-roasted in a cast-iron frying pan. Serve warm with tortilla or pita chips or crackers.