Carrot Hummus

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the best mom... at least when it comes to hiding vegetables in the food I feed my kids. Now, hummus is undeniably a staple in my diet, and there's no questioning its power food status, but I'm always looking for a way to amp things up a few notches in the vitamin/mineral components of any dish. Adding canned or frozen carrots provides some additional vitamin A; these carrot forms are softer and therefore blend quite a bit easier into the hummus. By all means one could boil fresh carrots and achieve the same effect. Further amping up the hummus with a scoop of unflavored protein powder gives each serving a gram or two more of satiating protein. Adding protein powder to meals can be especially important if one's diet is primarily vegetarian. At least I think it is... supposedly Americans get more than enough protein...

Anywho, this hummus is tasty and packed with nutritional benefits. Lately, when I'm not experimenting with edamame, spinach, or red pepper versions, this is my go-to recipe. It's pretty straight-forward, and (as you may have guessed by my use of approximate amounts) extremely forgivable.

The Edibles:

• 1 16-oz. can of garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas), rinsed and drained
• 3/4 of a 16 oz. can of carrots (or about 1 c. frozen carrots, thawed), drained
• 1 T. tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic (or the equivalent in jarred or powdered)
• generous sprinkling of fresh or dried parsely
• generous shake of ground coriander
• light sprinkle of onion salt (alternatively you could use onion powder generously)
• 1 scoop natural, unflavored protein powder
• enough water to get the blender/processor blade a-movin' (add 1 T. at a time)
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

The Making:

1. Whir together all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
2. If you're patient, chill hummus for at least 30 minutes. (You'll be amazed by how much more intense the flavors become in such a short amount of time!)
3. Store in a sealed container for maximum one week.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with pita chips, pretzels, cucumber slices, bagel chips, or (gasp!) carrots!