Moroccan Carrot Spread

I tasted a Moroccan Carrot Spread at the Duluth Whole Foods Co-op and loved the creamy texture and sweet carrot taste with spices.  So I looked for a similar recipe on-line and found this one from Paulette Mitchell, a culinary instructor, and author of 10 cookbooks, including her 15-Minute Gourmet cookbook series.  The list of ingredients was nearly identical to the one at the Co-op, but her recipe did not include parsley, so I added it to this recipe.   The key to the creamy texture is cooking the carrots until they are very tender.  I had never tried cooking carrots in the microwave before, and I have to admit that it was much quicker than my usual stove-top method. 

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots (about 8), cut into 1" chunks              

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Put the carrots in a medium microwave-proof dish; add about 1/4 cup water.  Cover tightly and microwave on high for about 8 minutes, or until very tender.  (Or cook the carrots in a stovetop steamer.)  Drain well.

Transfer the carrots to a food processor; process until mashed.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Bring to room temperature for serving.

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 5



Food processing  the ingredients

Serving Size: 1/4 cup cup

Calories: 89

Total Fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 64 mg

Total Carbs: 9 g

Dietary Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 1 g