This recipe comes from a ladies lunch out, where we shared appetizers and stopped in our tracks when we tasted the hummus, asking “What is in that?” We guessed and guessed until the chef came out and told us “Nutmeg!” This appetizer is great for this time of year when we are still is summer mode, yet we’ve started seeing the Halloween merchandise in the stores and everyone is whining “I’m not ready for pumpkin spice yet!” -C

Carrot Ginger Hummus

Ingredients:
2 x 15oz. cans of chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid) or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
5 large carrots, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. grated fresh ginger
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 c. tahini
2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
2 t. kosher salt
black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open the cans of chickpeas and rise, let drain.
2. On a baking sheet, roast the carrots for 45-60 minutes.
3. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until pureed and smooth. Add reserved chickpea water to thin out the hummus as desired.
4. The hummus will be warm from the heat of the roasted carrots, and may be slightly runny in the food processor, but it will firm up in the refrigerator. Let chill in the refrigerator overnight, then serve chilled or at room temperature with pita chips and vegetables.

Notes:
Yields: 4 cups of hummus, (or a generous quart). You will need to add more chickpea water if using canned chickpeas as opposed to cooked chickpeas, up to a 1/2 cup. If you cook your own beans, we find it is preferable to blend everything together while the carrots and cooked beans are still hot. Also, if you cook your own beans, you may also want to push the hummus through a sieve to collect any rouge bean skins.

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