Roasted Carrot Awesomeness. The “Dip”

Not sure if I should call this a dip or a spread.  All I know it is absolutely yummy!  Full of veggie goodness and with only a dash of oil, it’s low-fat too.  Trust me, the flavour will blow you away – the carrots become incredibly sweet and rich. Not what you would expect from a lowly carrot.

While grocery shopping with my son today, he grabbed carrots and ginger, among a few other “healthy” things. His words not mine. I remembered a carrot dip I made years ago and thought I would try to recreate the recipe. The original recipe comes from Crescent Dragonwagon’s the Passionate Vegetarian – I’ve made some variations with the seasonings and reduced the amount of oil.

My kids find the whole garlic bulb a bit overpowering – so if serving to kids, use about half of the garlic bulb and, of course, go easy on the cayenne.

Roasted Carrot Dip

makes about 1-1/2 cups

Ingredients

• about 1lb of carrots (approximately 6 or 7 medium-sized, thin carrots)
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 large onion
• 1 teaspoon of oil  (as little as you can get away with)
• 2 teaspoons of ponzu sauce or soy sauce, + more to taste later
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• pinch cayenne
• 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
• salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 and bring a large pot with about an inch of water to a boil.

Scrub carrots, remove stem ends and peel only if absolutely necessary.  Blanch carrots in boil water about 5 minutes, 6 minutes if very thick.

Quarter onion and slice top off head of garlic.

Place all veggies on a large baking tray and gently massage with oil. I use canola oil, but any oil mild tasting oil will do. Ensure exposed top of garlic is generously covered with oil.  Drizzle vegetables with ponzu or soy sauce, using your fingers to spread evenly.  Roast vegetables about 40 minutes. Or until soft and caramelized. You want some brown bits.

Throw carrots and onions (removing papery skins) to a food processor. Squeeze soft garlic from the bulb – this is your chance to get all Jamie Oliver and use your hands. Pulse until chunky, scrape down sides of bowl.  Add seasonings – a splash of ponzu, grated ginger, garam masala, cayenne and a couple of tablespoons of water.  Pulse until smooth.  Add a bit more water if you find the dip too thick for your liking.

I love this dip served still warm with toasted pita chips or pretzels.  Something crunchy is a must! The dip is great the next day as a sandwich spread – stuff a pita or wrap with a slathering of this bright orange dip and grilled veggies, or a mash of chickpeas and cilantro.  The dip actually gets better as it ages.

Serving 6 – approximately 1/4 cup per serving

Calories 29.62

Total Fat 1.56g

Total Carbohydrates 3.7g

Fiber0.77g

Protein 0.53g