Carrot dips

I have been making lots of things with carrots - they seem like a kind of bridge between summery veggies and autumnal ones - am almost onto squash, but not quite.  Incorporating the kind of warm spices I used in the chickpea-carrot stew thing I made last week.  I made two different pesto-y dip things.

Spiced carrot and chickpea dip

1 cup cooked, defrosted chickpeas
1 cup carrots (approx 2 large carrots, peeled, chopped into big chunks and steamed for approx 15 min until tender)
1 tsp ras el hanout
1 tsp lemon juice
chickpea sized piece of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper
water to make a good consistency

Put all ingredients into wand blender cup and blend until smooth.  Taste to check seasoning.


Spiced carrot and almond pesto

1 cup carrots (approx 2 large carrots, peeled, chopped into big chunks and steamed for approx 15 min until tender)
1/4 cup toasted, flaked almonds
1 x 1 x 2 in piece firm tofu, cut into chunks
1 tsp lemon juice
splash of red wine vinegar
chickpea sized piece of garlic
2 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp cumin seed
3/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
water to make a good consistency

Toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant and then grind in spice grinder.  Put all ingredients into wand blender cup and blend until smooth.  Taste to check seasoning.


Both were good.  I think I liked the almond one best, but yes, other one good too.  Hard to go wrong with this kind of thing really.  S cooked some spaghetti right after I made them and I realised that the almond one especially might actually work as a pesto - it did - was very tasty and autumnal and orange and interesting.