When it comes to hummus, there truly are 32 flavors and then some. While hummus is always on the menu in my house, I like to shake things up often and try new variations. Recently, I was intrigued by the Moroccan Carrot Hummus served up over on 28 Cooks; I didn’t have enough baby carrots to give that recipe a try, but it did lead me to the idea of substituting cooked carrots for part of the chickpeas in my hummus.

The result was a lighter, sweeter hummus which didn’t need much in the way of spices to embellish it. In fact, I tasted it after the garlic, carrots, chickpeas, and lemon juice were blended together, and I almost stopped right there: it was so fresh-tasting and delicious that I didn’t want to risk muddying up the flavor with too much seasoning. But I chose to add a few flavors that, I think, complement the carrots; you’re welcome to try the light, unadulterated version first and decide yourself whether it needs any extra seasonings.



Print Recipe Ingredients 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup water

2-3 cloves garlic

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/2 tbsp. tahini

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ginger paste (or 1/4 tsp. finely minced ginger)

pinch cayenne

1/4 tsp. paprika Instructions On the stove or in the microwave, cook the carrots in the water, covered, until the carrots are just tender. (I nuked ‘em for 2 1/2 minutes.) Put the carrots, water, and garlic into the food processor and puree. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, and salt to the processor and puree until smooth. At this point, you can stop and have a very simple, very light hummus. Or add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Serve as a dip, a sandwich filling, or a salad dressing. Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 5 minute(s) Number of servings (yield): 4 Nutrition (per serving): 160 calories, 19 calories from fat, 2.3g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 638.9mg sodium, 344.3mg potassium, 30g carbohydrates, 6.2g fiber, 2.1g sugar, 6.2g protein.





Wondering about the other 31 flavors of hummus? Well, I don’t really have that many on this blog, but here’s the current list of the ones I DO have:

Black-eyed Pea Hummus

Hummus in the Blender

Berbere-Spiced Red Lentil Hummus

Green Olive Hummus

Almost-Instant Hummus Ghanoush

Spicy Red Pepper Hummus and a Movie

Chipotle Chickpea Dip

Cucumber Hummus

and, of course, my regular Low-Fat Hummus











