Spiced Roasted Carrot Dip A La Quarantine

I didn’t quarantine shop being as my pantry is always stocked for isolation and my refrigerator is a treasure trove of wrapped veggies, greens and more. Cooking in quarantine doesn’t have to be about frozen pre-made meals or bagged snacks, it can still be about smart cooking, using ingredients a few ways and making meals last. 

Carrots make me happy with their sweetness and crunch, they’re a powerhouse vegetable - incredibly versatile in cooking and they last a long time in that bottom drawer of the refrigerator. What I love most about cooking and, truly about vegetables, is the possibility of a meal. When I look at a carrot I certainly do not think, raw, healthy, blah … I think soup, dip, roast or juice.

I’m a big fan of one pot carrot soup and roasted carrots with chicken. Candied carrots in the oven can taste like candy when cooked long enough; they’re natural sweetness coming to the forefront and bursting with flavor. My morning elixir of carrot juice with lemon, ginger and green apple gets me going on a good day and on a shit day. And, might I suggest if you’re alone during quarantine, you add a few cloves of garlic … because why not get your bad breath and glowing skin on.

This week I went for dip because I’m feeling snacky. Carrot dip that is super spiced with warming flavors like turmeric, heat that comes from pepperoncini and a depth of sweetness that comes from roasting the carrots until they’re caramelized and deep brown. I’ve made this dip in the past with beans, but this time around I had so many carrots that there was no need to split the batch. If you don’t have some of the ingredients or don’t like ‘em, skip ‘em. Create your own carrot concoction but if you ask me, the tahini, lemon and olive are not to be skipped. You can try replacing tahini with a mild nut butter like cashew, sunflower or even almond as they’re pretty flavor neutral. Heat can be replaced with pickled jalapenos or sriracha. Use your imagination. Spread on bread, dip a vegetable, eat it off of a spoon. I lopped some on homemade almond butter bread with veggies and pecorino - a single woman’s isolation dream meal. Well, at least for me.

 Ingredients
1 bag of baby carrots or 1 x 1lb. bag of carrots - peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 T. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
A few shakes of smoked paprika
A few grinds of black pepper
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil +2 more tablespoons for blending
1-2 cloves of garlic
4-6 pepperoncini peppers, whole and no need to remove seeds - keep that spice locked in!
Zest + Juice of 1 lemon
2 T. tahiniSalt to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Toss carrots and coat well with dry spices and olive oil
Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until dark brown, caramelized and soft
Allow carrots to slightly cool, about 15 minutes, and place in the food processor with garlic and pepperoncini, then add lemon juice, zest, olive oil, tahini and blend until smooth
Taste for flavor and salt if necessary