Harissa Carrot Dip

By Missy - Blissbranding Digital Specialist the tasty blog Harissa, Harissa Olive Oil, Olive Oil 0 Comments

This Harissa Carrot Dip is a fantastic, flavor-packed alternative to hummus! The key here, is the slow roasted carrots. Yes, slow roasted! They kind of shrivel up and get super soft, which makes for a SUPER creamy dip.

Ingredients

- - For the slow-roasted carrots
    8 medium-large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4” thick
    1 1/2 tablespoons Coronado Taste of Oil Harissa Olive Oil
    1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
    1/2 teaspoon paprika
    1/4 teaspoon cumin
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    For the dip
    1/2 cup cooked lentils*
    1/3 cup raw almonds
    1 tablespoon harissa paste*
    2 cloves garlic
    juice of 1 lemon
    1/3 cup packed cilantro
    1/2 cup Coronado Taste of Oil Harissa Olive Oil
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    1/4 cup ice water
    veggies, pita chips, pita bread, and/or crackers for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Add carrots, Coronado Taste of Oil Harissa Olive Oil, smoked paprika, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to the baking sheet and toss to coat. Bake for 50 minutes, or until carrots are soft and slightly shriveled, tossing once or twice during baking. Let cool.

Once carrots have cooled, add to a food processor along with the lentils, almonds, harissa, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. With the processor running, slowly stream in the ice water and blend until dip is even creamier. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve with dippers of choice!

Recipe Notes
*For a time-saving hack, sometimes I like to buy the pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s! Otherwise, I just boil black lentils with salted water and a bay leaf for 18-20 minutes or until they’re tender, and drain!
*Harissa paste can vary greatly in spice level. I most often use the harissa from Trader Joe’s, and it’s spicy. 1 tablespoon in this recipe is still relatively spicy, so if you don’t like spice, maybe use half. With other brands of milder harissa, you might have to use up to 2 tablespoons. To be safe, I’d start with 1/2-1 tablespoon!

Recipe first featured here.

Harissa Carrot Dip