Spiced Carrot Hummus

Grains of Paradise and fresh lime juice turn this carrot hummus into a spectacular summer snack. I suggest roasting double the amount of carrots, grabbing three or four for this recipe and then serving the rest with dinner later. I also use Chinese sesame paste here, which is made from roasted sesame, giving it a flavor more akin to peanut butter than tahini. If you don’t have Chinese sesame paste, you can use creamy natural peanut butter to keep the flavor intact or tahini for a more neutral flavor.

Spiced Carrot Hummus

Yields | 3 cups |

• 1 Tbsp Grains of Paradise
• ¾ lb organic carrots (3 to 4), scrubbed
• 6 Tbsp, plus 2 tsp, olive oil, divided
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 14.5-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ¹⁄₃ cup Chinese sesame paste
• juice of 3 to 4 medium limes
• ½ cup water

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small skillet, dry-toast whole Grains of Paradise seeds until fragrant and then grind them into a powder with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Set aside.

Toss whole carrots with 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle with salt. Place on a lipped baking sheet; roast until fork-tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Slice roasted carrots into 1-inch-long pieces. Add carrot pieces, remaining olive oil, chickpeas, garlic, sesame paste, lime juice and ground Grains of Paradise to the bowl of a food processor; pulse to blend. With the motor on, stream in water, adding more as needed until hummus reaches desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer to sealed container and refrigerate, at least 2 hours, to allow flavors to blend.

| To Serve | Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with more toasted and ground Grains of Paradise, if desired. Serve at room temperature with assorted crackers, pitas and crudités.